You're not alone
by Julians Angel
Summary: LL Lorelai is having a cold and there's no one to take care of her except Luke. Will this friendly gesture lead to something more? Read to find out. Chapter 37 is up now. STORY COMPLETE!
1. Default Chapter

**Title:** "You're not alone"

**Pairing:** Luke/Lorelai

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these characters. Just borrow them for my story.

**Summary**: Lorelai is having a cold and there's no one to take care of her except Luke. Will this friendly gesture lead to something more? Read to find out.

_**Okay, I decided to start a new story. It's JJ all the way. How could you expect something else, right? LOL All I can say is that it's not going to be as long as my first one lol, but I hope you'll like it as well.  
Please read it and tell me if you like it, so that I know if I should continue or not. :) **_

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

"Mom, you sure you're okay?" Rory asked her mother when they entered Luke's Diner on Monday morning.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." They sat down at a table in the middle of the Diner.

"I could stay, you know."

"Don't be ridiculous. You were looking forward to this trip for weeks." Lorelai shook her head, followed by a sneeze. "It's nothing."

Rory looked at her mother in disbelieve. "Yeah sure. I can see that."

"Rory, stop it. I told you I'm fine." she sneezed again, and rummaged in her purse for a handkerchief.

With his notepad in his hands, Luke came to their table. "What can I get you?"

"Blueberry pancakes and coffee." Rory answered, looking up at Luke.

"'kay." he scribbled it down and shifted his gaze to Lorelai. "And you?"

_ Achoo_ !! Lorelai turned away and sneezed in her handkerchief again. "Uhm, coffee."

Luke looked down at her with a frown. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Really? Because you don't look okay."

"Geez, you really know what a woman wants to hear." Lorelai said, lifting her head up to look at him.

"No it's just..." he paused for a moment when he noticed her glazed eyes and flushed face. "Maybe you should've stayed in bed."

"My words." Rory threw in. "But she wouldn't listen."

"I promised to take you to Hartford. We're not going to see us for a week. I can't just say '_Bye. See ya.' _and let you take the bus."

"I told you it'd be no problem."

"Where are you going?" Luke asked.

"We're making an excursion to Washington with our class, for political research. I wanted to stay but..."

"I think a cold is something I can handle myself." Lorelai said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples with her fingertips.

Rory rolled her eyes at Luke and whispered. "So stubborn."

"I heard that." Lorelai opened her left eye to look at her daughter.

"Good."

"Then lay down after you took her to Hartford." Luke suggested.

"Can't. Work. Inn. Staff meeting." she mumbled before she took a deep sigh.

"Lorelai..."

"You should bring me that coffee of yours or I'm not sure if I'll survive the day." She coughed and reached up to her neck, waiting for the pain inside her throat to go away.

Luke looked at her for a moment before he walked behind the counter, giving Cesar the order to make some pancakes for Rory. A few minutes later he came back to their table, placing a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of Rory and filled her a cup of coffee.

Lorelai held out her mug as well but Luke reached for another pot and filled her mug with hot tea.

She blinked twice before she started. "Wha-, what's that?"

"Herbal tee."

She wrinkled her nose as she looked at it. "I didn't order _that_."

"I know but it'd be good for you. You'll see."

She let out a small laugh, "Says who?"

"I'm saying that. Drink it."

"I want coffee." She shoved her mug away, pouting at Luke. "Coffee please."

"No."

"Luke _pleeeease_."

"Tea is what people drink when they're ill."

"God, you sound like my mother." Lorelai groaned and tried a sip of tea.

"See, it's not that bad, isn't it?"

"Yeah, delicious." she faked a smile and waited until Luke left their table before she grabbed Rory's coffee.

"Hey, take your hands off my coffee. It's mine."

"I need it. You know I'm an addict. I need that stuff." she pleaded, having her fingers around Rory's mug.

"No." She removed Lorelai's fingers from her mug and took it away from her. "You don't want to pass it onto me, don't you?"

Lorelai bit her lower lip and sighed, shifting her gaze to Luke who was standing behind the counter, watching her with an eye.

He told her with his look to finally drink her tea.

Sighing, she gave in and sipped it. _Ewwww. Hate herbal tea. _

* * *

_ Independence Inn - Afternoon _

Lorelai stood at the reception, checking the reservations when Michel walked up beside her.

"Michel, can you..." _Achoo_!!

He made a few steps back and cringed his nose. "I dare you to pass your cold onto me."

"I turned away." Lorelai said and pulled a handkerchief out of the box beside her on the counter.

"Your germs are flying around everywhere. That's disgusting." He walked away from her to keep enough distance.

"What's the matter Michel? I'm sure your immune system is strong enough." she sneezed again but this time in her handkerchief.

"That's enough. Go home."

"Excuse me?"

"Go home. You're absolutely useless when you're like that."

"Michel!"

"Go go, get!"

"But the staff meeting and reservation check and... and..." she reached up to her head. "...there was something else I wanted to do."

Michel sighed, "I can do that."

"How can you do something I don't even remember myself?"

"Lorelai, do me a favour and go!"

"But..." she studied him for a moment but she had no good reason to stay. She felt miserable. Her head was pounding, her eyes were burning and the dizziness just won't go away. "'kay." She finally said and grabbed her purse on the way to the door. When she slipped into her coat, she turned to him again. "If there's something..."

"I give you a call." Michel rolled his eyes and picked up the phone to call the delivery guy.

Without a word, she opened the door and walked out on the street and into her car. On her way home she stopped in front of the Diner, considering that a cup of coffee would probably make her feel better soon.

The Diner was pretty empty because of the everyday afternoon lull. Luke was checking the bills when he heard the bells above the door jingle. He lifted his gaze up to look at the door and saw Lorelai coming in.

"Hey, I thought you'd be in bed. I called you twice."

"You called me?"

"Yeah, to check on you. If you're okay and everything."

Lorelai slowly closed the door behind her before she turned back to meet Luke's eyes. "I am."

He put the bills down and walked around the counter. "It's 4pm. I thought we agreed that you'd go to bed after you brought Rory to Hartford?" He was now standing in front of her, looking at her in concern.

"I... I just wanted to go to the Inn and check on some things and..." she opened her coat. "Whoah, it's warm in here, isn't it?"

"Uhm no, not really."

"Sure it is." she slipped out of her coat and threw it over a chair.

"You should go to bed, Lorelai."

"I will... I just..." Suddenly she grabbed Luke's arm. "Oh god, why is everything spinning around, Luke?"

"Hey hey." Immediately Luke reached under her arms to give her support.

She clinged to him tightly, slipping her arms around his neck, her cheek slightly touching his neck.

That was when he noticed that her skin was burning. "Geez, Lorelai. You're hot."

"I am? That's a compliment, I guess." She giggled, still leaning against Luke's body.

"No, I... I mean, you're burning." He thought for a moment before he took her hand and walked with her toward the staircase.

"Where are we going?" Lorelai mumbled, still clinging at Luke's arm.

"Upstairs. C'mon." He put the curtain aside and led her upstairs.

"But I just came for a cup of coffee. You told me to lie down, remember?"

"I know and that's what you're going to do now." He opened the door to his apartment and led her in....

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**First of all, thank you sooo much for all your nice reviews. They mean so much to me, really. :) I had the idea for this story in my mind for a while and now I decided to write it down. I hope it turns out as I wanted it to be.  
Well, okay. Here's the next chapter, guys. Enjoy. :)**_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Lorelai looked around before her eyes fell back on Luke. "What am I doing here?"

"Get some rest."

"Here?"

"I don't want you to be alone, now that Rory is away and everything."

"You have to get back to work anyway." she said with half closed eyes.

"But I can come upstairs and check on you every now and then, which is _not _possible when you're at your house."

"You have a point here but you don't have to _check_ on me. That's really not necessary." She said, still holding Luke's hand.

"It is."

She sighed exhausted and released his hand before she slowly walked over to the sofa. "I just want to sit down for a moment. I'm sure I'll feel better in a few minutes.

"You won't. Lorelai, you have fever."

"Na, I'm okay. I like your apartment. Ever told you that?" She was about to sit down when Luke grabbed her arm, dragging her along with him.

"I... Luke... the sofa is over there." she pointed into the other direction but let Luke lead her to his bed.

"I know but I want you to take the bed."

"To take the..." she looked at him in confusion and shook her head. "No, it's your bed so _you _take it." But she already sat down, closing her eyes.

"The sofa is fine with me."

"But I..."

"Don't even start..."

Slowly she opened her eyes and lifted her head to meet his eyes. A small smile was forming on her lips. "Never noticed you can be such a gentleman, Luke."

"Every day a new surprise, huh?" He let out a small laugh.

"Nice bed you have here. But it's kinda small, isn't it?"

"Big enough for me."

"Maybe for you but not for me." She smiled before she started to cough again.

"Okay, lay down. I'll bring you some tea."

"'kay." she nodded sighing, pulling her legs up on the bed.

"Wait. Maybe you should... uhm, I mean... it's not really comfortable to sleep in the clothes you're wearing. I give you one of my shirts, okay?"

"'Mh-mh." she mumbled but let herself fall back on the bed while Luke walked to his closet and took out one of his shirts.

"Here. This should be fine." When he was back, he saw that her eyes were closed. "Lorelai? Here's the shirt."

"Yeah." she murmered, not moving.

"Can you... uhm, Lorelai? You need to get out of your clothes before you fall asleep." he touched her thigh softly as he pulled her up into a sitting position.

She groaned when she fumbled with the buttons of her blouse but she wouldn't get them open. All she wanted to do was to lay down and get some sleep. "Can't."

Luke was already on the way over to the kitchen area to give her some privacy. When he heard her groan he stopped without turning around. "Can't... _what_?"

"Get them open." she mumbled.

Hesitantly Luke turned around and saw that she was fighting with the buttons of her blouse.

"I..." she looked down at her blouse before she lifted her head to look at Luke, her face flushed and her eyes tired.

"Well, maybe I..." Luke paused and reached to the back of his neck. _Stop that thought. You can't offer to do this for her_.

"Could you?"

_ You don't know what you're asking for._ "If I... uhm, yeah... I... I can do that... if you want to." he slowly approached her.

"Thanks." she whispered and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Luke was sitting next to her on the bed.

He looked at her when he reached forward to the buttons of her blouse. _Oh god, I don't believe I'm doing this._ He fought to focus his eyes on her face. He'd not let them drop downwards.

Lorelai's eyes were locked with Luke's, while he fumbled to get her blouse open. She didn't realise the awkward situation they were in. "You have the _most_ beautiful eyes I've ever seen." she finally whispered, a small smile was forming on her lips when she noticed his chuckle.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Both of her hands reached up to touch his face, her fingertips softly gliding over his cheeks. "They're so... blue."

_ Oh god, what is she doing? _ Luke swallowed and tried to concentrate further on the buttons. _This is all because of the fever._

"Like yours." He finally brought out.

"What?" she frowned slightly, tracing with her fingers along his jaw line.

"Your eyes are blue as well." His heart was beating faster with every minute she was touching him.

"Ah yeah, right." She smiled.

"Yeah. Okay, finished." He said and waited for a reaction but there was none. So he slowly opened her blouse and glided it over her shoulders, helping her to slip out of it.

_ Don't look down. Don't... don't do this. _ But he couldn't help himself and his eyes fell down for a second before he reached over to grab his shirt. He shook his head. _C'mon, get a grip here. _

Lorelai didn't notice any of this. She was already half asleep. Not knowing what was going on around her, she mumbled. "Tired."

Luke cleared his throat. "Yeah. Just a second." He helped her into his shirt and buttoned it up, accidently touching her belly while he was doing so.

"Feels nice." She brought the sleeves of the shirt up to her face and rubbed it against her cheek.

"Yeah, it does." He said and helped her to slip out of her skirt as well. "So, now you're ready for bed."

"Thanks." She crawled under the covers. "So sweet how you're taking her of me."

"You're welcome."

"Smells like Luke." she mumbled, when she snuggled into the pillow, her eyes already closed.

Luke smiled and waited a moment until he was sure that she was asleep. He brushed a curl out of her face, watching her for a few more minutes before he walked back downstairs. He didn't like the idea of letting her alone right now, but he really had to help Cesar in the Diner.

* * *

An hour later, when the afternoon lull was over and the Diner got more crowded again, Luke was busy with ordering, cooking and serving food to his customers. He cursed himself a few times that he didn't hire some help so that he'd get a little more spare time every now and then. Actually he thought about closing the Diner earlier, now that Lorelai was upstairs and not feeling too well. He really wanted to be there for her but it wasn't possible. The weekly town meeting was over since a few minutes and now half of the people of Stars Hollow were sitting in his Diner.

Sighing, he placed the bills on the counter and shouted to Cesar into the kitchen. "Cheeseburger with extra bacon, turkey burger without salad and without mayo, fries and... damn it..." he glanced at his notepad before he finished, "...chilli fries."

"Man, I just have to hands." he heard Cesar answering from the kitchen.

"Yeah, guess what. Same here." Luke muttered and started to make fresh coffee.

"Ketchup, please." One of the customers called, waving with her hands at Luke.

"Where's my turkey burger?" Andrew asked, tapping with his fingers on the countertop.

Luke shot him a glare, throwing the towel over his shoulder. "Look around. The Diner is full and I just have two hands. So do me a favour and be patient, okay?"

"Sorry, man."

Luke grabbed the ketchup bottle and walked around the counter when he bumped into Miss Patty who just entered the Diner.

"Ohhh, Luke." She started to flirt. "How are your doing, sweetheart?"

"Fine." He walked past her to the customer who asked for ketchup earlier.

"Can you fix me something, sweetheart?" she watched him walk away, her eyes gliding down to his butt.

"Sure. It may take a while." he answered and rushed back behind the counter when the telephone started to ring.

"No problem." she sat down at the counter, next to Andrew.

"Hallo?" Luke answered the phone.

"Hey, it's me. Sookie."

"Oh hey, Sookie." he filled Miss Patty a cup of coffee. "What's wrong?"

"It's about Lorelai. Michel told me that he sent her home earlier because she wasn't feeling well. So I called her at home to check if she's okay or if she needs something but she didn't answer. Now I'm wondering... well, do you have any idea where Lorelai might be?"

"Uhm, yeah... at my place." Luke answered.

"At the Diner?"

"No." He paused. "Upstairs."

"Oh."

"Yeah, she came to me after work and almost collapsed here. So I brought her upstairs."

"In your apartment?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Sookie grinned.

"I mean... now that Rory isn't there I don't want her to be alone at her house and... well, you know."

"Uh-huh."

"What?"

"I didn't say anything." Sookie answered, still grinning.

"But that tone. What does that mean?" Luke moved around, leaning against the counter, his back to the Diner.

"Nothing."

"Sookie!"

"No, it's just... you, taking care of her is really sweet."

"She's a friend."

"Of course."

"You'd do the same, right?"

"Yes."

"See. It's no big deal. And it's easier when she's here."

"Okay, I understand that Luke. I really do." She still had a wide grin on her face. "So, how is she?"

"Last time I checked, she was asleep."

"On... your sofa." Sookie asked hesitantly, trying not to giggle.

"In my bed."

"Luke!"

"What? I couldn't let her sleep on the sofa, could I?"

"You have a point here."

"Where are my fries?" A customer asked impatiently.

"Sookie. I have to go. The Diner is pretty crowded and got this really angry glares from some of my customers here." He turned round and didn't notice Miss Patty who suddenly looked away, pretending not to listen to Luke's phone conversation.

"Sure. Bye."

"Bye." He hung up the phone and leaned towards Miss Patty. "So, what can I get you?"

* * *

_**To be continued.... Please R&R! Thanks :) **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewing my story. Thank you sooo much. It's always good to know that someone's reading what your crazy mind produced. LOL That gives you the motivation to continue writing. Hehe! :)  
Okay, here's the next chapter. I hope you like it. Enjoy. :)**_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

It was a bit after 9pm when Luke walked upstairs to his apartment. He worked in his Diner the whole evening and only had time to check on Lorelai a few minutes – every time she was asleep.

He closed the door to his apartment carefully before he moved around to look over to his bed. There she was. Lorelai Gilmore. Laying in his bed and apparently still asleep.

He slipped out of his shoes to make no sound by walking around and left them next to the door. Then he headed into the kitchen where he made himself a small salad and a sandwich. Sitting down at the table, he started to eat and flipped through the Stars Hollow Gazette. When he heard Lorelai stir, he got up and walked over to her.

She slowly opened her eyes and gave him a smile. "Hey."

"Hey." Luke sat down on the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Good." Lorelai reached up to her head.

"Something tells me that this is a lie."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes."

"Fine, okay. I feel like I've been hit by a truck." she massaged her temples slightly. "How long was I asleep?"

"About five hours."

She groaned. "I'm still tired."

He reached over to gently touch her face. "Because of the fever. You're still burning."

"Probably, yeah." She pulled the covers aside.

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom." She gave him a small smile.

"Oh, yeah. Sure."

She slowly slipped out of the bed and stood up. "Whoa, my head. It feels like... someone's hammering in there."

"Easy. Easy." Luke grabbed her arm and walked with her over to the bathroom where she slipped in and closed the door behind her.

In the meantime, Luke boiled some water for tea and called Pete to ask him for help at the Diner the following day.

When Lorelai came out of the bathroom, she was able to hear the end of his conversation. Standing in the doorframe, she said. "Who were you talking to?"

Luke moved around. "What? Oh, not important. You want fruit tea or herbal tea?"

"Fruit. What do you need help for?"

"Pete helps me out, every now and then when it's too much for me alone at the Diner. And tomorrow will be one of those days."

"Why's that?" She asked, looking at him when she finally realized. "Luke, if it's because of me, you don't have to." She slowly walked to one of the chairs at the kitchen table and sat down.

"It's okay. Really."

"You know, I'm already feeling better right now and I'm sure I can go to work tomorrow. No, actually I_ have_ _to_." She pulled her legs up on the chair, hugging her knees when she started to feel cold.

"Michel is there. And I'm sure it's not the first time that he throws the Inn without you." Luke took a mug and moved around to Lorelai. "So, there's no need to hurry things up, okay?"

"I don't. It's just..." she paused and rubbed her arms. "...I feel bad. We're going to have this big tourist group this week and Michel can be really annoying when he's all worked up and he'll let it out on the guests of our hotel which is..." _Achoo!_

"Bless you. Sookie is there too."

_ Achoo_ ! "True but it's..." _Achoo_! "Oh god, damn sneezing." She shivered, her teeth started to clatter with cold.

"Bless you." Luke looked at her in concern. "You better lay down again. Tea is ready in a minute."

She slowly walked back to the bed and laid down, pulling the covers up to her chin, her body still shaking. "It's freezing in here. Turn on the heater. _Now_!"

"It's on." Luke filled some tea into a mug and walked to the side of her bed. He placed it on the nightstand and threw an extra blanket over her. "You should feel warmer in a minute."

"Th-thanks." She bibbered.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, "Okay, you better take some medicine."

"Medicine?" Lorelai asked, still shivering.

"Yeah. I was at the pharmacy and bought some things. " Luke took all the items out of the bag and turned on the small light near the bed.

"Oh really?" she asked tiredly, slowly getting warmer again. "Then give me _everything _you have in here."

Luke let out a small laugh. "Let's see. This is against fever and headache and all the other side effects. So you better take one of those pills, okay?"

"I'll take them all if it makes me feel better."

"I think one's enough."

She sat up a little when Luke handed her the pill and a glass of water. She swallowed it down and handed the glass back to Luke.

"Good. What about nose drops?"

"Nah, I hate those." Lorelai made a face and put her head back down onto the pillow.

"Nobody likes to take medicine but they might help."

"No, they're disgusting beside this, they've never worked for me anyway."

"Lorelai."

"You won't argue with me when I'm ill, won't you?"

"No." He gave her a smile and put the small bottle back into the paper bag where he pulled out a tube. "Okay, then maybe this."

"What's that?"

"Uhm..." he skimmed the package insert. "It's to clear your respiratory tract. It's some kind of gel you rub onto your chest and back."

"Oh, I used it a few times when Rory had a cold."

"And did it help?"

"I didn't hear her coughing the whole night."

"Well, sounds good, doesn't it?"

"It does. Maybe I won't keep you up the whole night then?" Her lips twitched into a small smile.

Luke smiled back. "Well, then we better use it."

"Yes." They stared at each other for a moment. "Might be a good idea." She smiled before she couldn't help but cough again.

Luke waited until it was over. "You okay?"

"I guess." She reached up to her throat. "That really hurts already."

"Drink some of that tea as long as it's still hot. It will help." He handed her the tea and waited until she made a few sips before he placed it on the nightstand again.

Sighing, she laid back again, her eyes met his. "This is so... embarrassing."

"What?"

"This. Me. Everything."

"What are you talking about?"

"_Duh_! That you see me like this... all whimpering and... helpless and... well, that's embarrassing."

"Don't be ridiculous, Lorelai."

"But it's true. You have something better to do than mothering me."

"I'm not _mothering_ you. I'm just taking care of you. And that's what friends are for, right?"

"Right."

"See."

"But if you tell someone about all this..."

He cut her off and finished. "...you'll have to kill me. I know."

"Yes." Her frown changed into a smile when she noticed his grinning expression. "Okay, then we have a deal."

"Seems so."

Lorelai's eyes fell on the tube in Luke's hand and started to unbutton her shirt herself. It was kind of weird for her to undress herself in front of Luke because it was, well... _Luke_. But she was really glad that he brought her up into his apartment and was all willing to take care of her. She never thought that Luke could be so sweet. "Now let's see about your miracle gel here."

"What?" Luke was watching her undoing the shirt. "Oh, yeah... I'm sure it helps." He cleared his throat, his eyes wandering up to her face.

"So, what are you waiting for?"

He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "You... you want me to... to do this for you?"

"If you don't mind."

"No... not at all, I was just thinking that..."

"If I remember right, that gel smells really disgusting and I don't want to have it on my hands and..."

"Yeah, yeah... I got it." Luke gave her a small smile. "Okay, this can be cold now."

Lorelai nodded and watched when Luke squeezed some of the gel in the palm of his hands before he hesitantly reached forward. First he only touched her slightly with his fingertips to make her getting used to the cold gel. Then he gently rubbed it on her neck and chest, his fingers glided over her soft skin.

"You're good at this." She finally said when she noticed that she was holding her breath.

"I do my best."

"I can see that." She paused and closed her eyes. _Oh god, those hands._

Luke swallowed when his eyes wandered down her body and he couldn't help himself to think about how sexy she looked in that black lacy bra. "Uhm, can you turn over now... so that I can... you know... do your back."

"Yeah." She slipped the shirt off her shoulders before she turned to lay on her stomach. She jumped slightly when the cool gel touched her skin.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." she mumbled into the pillow while Luke rubbed the gel onto her upper back. She was extremely enjoying the sensation of Luke's magical hands on her skin that she almost fell asleep. But then he pulled his hands away and Lorelai slowly opened her eyes again. _No, don't stop!_

"Done."

"Already?"

"Uh... yes."

"Thank you." she whispered and moved around again.

"You're welcome."

"I think the medicin kicks in." She mumbled and fought to hold her eyes open.

"That's good. Just sleep." He whispered softly

"Yeah." She was so tired that she couldn't fight it anymore drifted off to sleep.

"Good night."

* * *

_ Later that night_

It was almost 4am and Luke was still awake. Sitting on the sofa and sleeping on it where two different things, he knew that now. Groaning, he rolled onto his other side but it got more uncomfortable with every move.

"No..."

Luke's head jerked up and looked over to Lorelai.

"Rory... no..." she mumbled.

Luke sat up and frowned while he was watching her. The fever apparently caused some bad dreams.

"Rory, don't... please.... nooo." Lorelai got louder with every word and she started to trash around.

That was when Luke immediately rushed over to her, sitting on the side of the bed. "Hey, Lorelai. Wake up." He started to whisper.

"Rory...Roryyyyy!" Lorelai jumped and sat up straight in bed, looking at Luke with wide eyes, breathlessly.

"It's okay. It was just a dream."

"Oh god..." Her trembling hands reached up to cover her face.

"Hey, it's okay."

"Rory, she... there was..." Tears started to run down her cheeks.

"Hey, come here." Luke pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back gently.

She clutched his shirt tightly, sobbing into his chest. "I... I was so scared."

"Ssshhh. It was just a bad dream." He whispered into her ear.

"I know." After a moment she pulled apart to look into his eyes. "But everything seemed so real."

Luke reached up and wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks.

She closed her eyes when Luke touched her but opened them a moment later again to meet his eyes. They looked at each other for a moment before Luke broke the silence. "You better try to go back to sleep, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Luke was about to get up when she grabbed his hand. "Don't go away." She slipped her arms around his waist again, leaning her head against his chest.

"I'll just be over there." he pointed into the direction of the sofa.

"Just hold me for a few more minutes."

He reached his arms around her, holding her close. "Okay." He whispered, softly caressing her back. "I can do that."

* * *

_**To be continued... Please R&R! Thanks :) **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thanks everyone for your nice reviews. I can tell how glad I am that you like my story. **_

**_Debbie_: **Thanks for your ideas. I'll see what I can do with it. ;)

**_pink88_: **it's MY luke.. all mine! Hehe... LOL Well, at least in my story here. sigh

lucky#7: Hehe, I know how independent Lorelai is. But let's don't forget that she's all feverdrunk... oh well, anyway. I needed this for my story even if it's a little OOC. lol

**_lorelailuke4ever_: **babbling is good wink Oh, and you think something bad is going to happen? hmm... lol

_**Thank to all the others, thank you, thank you. LOL You guys rock! :) **_

_**Here's the new chapter. Enjoy :)**_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Lorelai stood in Rory's old room, looking around. This is going to be perfect, she thought with a content smile. She grabbed the roller, dipped it into the light blue paint and started to roll it over the walls. Suddenly she felt two hands covering her eyes. She grinned.

"Antonio, I told you not to come in like that when you don't know if my husband is around or not."

"Hey!" He tried to sound offended.

She reached up and removed his hands from her eyes before she turned around, giggling. "Ah, it's you."

"Antonio?" He looked at her, wiping a spot of paint off her cheek.

"Well, Antonio Banderas you know?" She grinning, biting at her lower lip while she studied him.

"I see." He smiled and bent down to give her a kiss, taking the roller out of her hand. "I told you to wait until I'm back."

"I know. I just wanted to see if the color will look good on the walls." she gave him an innocent look.

"And that's why you dragged all paint and rollers and... and even the ladder into the room?"

"I just..."

"You know what we were talking about yesterday."

Lorelai sighed and looked down. "Yes. No straining because it's not good for the babies." She lifted her head and gave him her famous pout.

"Exactly." He placed a hand on her belly, caressing it with his thumb. "I just wanna be sure that the three of you are okay."

"We are." Lorelai slipped her arms around his neck, looking at him. "We're more than okay."

"I'm sorry... it's just... I'm worried."

"I know and that's really sweet. You're going to be such a good Daddy." Lorelai smiled widely.

"You think so?"

"Absolutely." She tilted her head to the side before she bent forward and met Luke's lips into a deep kiss.

Lorelai woke up with a start, sweat drops running down her temples. She let out a deep breath and turned to her side, where Luke was sleeping peacefully. But as tired as she was, she didn't think further about her dream. She pulled the covers up to her chin and shifted closer to Luke, cradling against him until her head was resting in the crook of his shoulder. Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes again and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It was 9am when Luke slowly stirred. He reached up to his rub his hand over his tired face as he yawned. Suddenly he noticed a warm breath against his neck. He opened his eyes and found Lorelai right next to him, her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder, her hand lying on his chest, right above his heart.

_ What happened_? He just wanted to hold her for a few minutes, so how he ended up sleeping next to her?

Feeling the touch of her warm hand on his chest made his heartbeat getting faster. He was so close to her and it felt damn good. And he couldn't help himself but chuckle. He always wanted to wake up next to Lorelai Gilmore.

_ God, what are you thinking??_

He took a deep breath and enjoyed the sensation of lying that close to her. Wanting to go back to sleep himself, he suddenly opened his eyes again, looking over to his alarm clock. "No, damn it." He whispered and carefully slipped out of Lorelai's grip.

She realized that she was losing that warm thing next to her and mumbled, her eyes still closed. "Don't. Go"

"Sshh, go back to sleep." He whispered and watched her for a moment until he was sure that she drifted off back to sleep.

Then he changed into a clean flannel, grabbed his baseball cap and hurried down the stairs. Still busy with buttoning up his shirt, he put the curtain to the Diner aside with his elbow. When he looked up, he noticed some heads turning towards him.

"What the..." he started, looking around. When he saw Pete behind the counter, he walked to him "What's going on here? Who opened the Diner?"

"I asked Cesar to give me the key. You weren't there, so I thought it'd be okay because of your call yesterday."

"But I didn't mean to... you know. I just forgot to set my alarm and..." Luke sighed. "Thanks."

"Hey man. You're welcome." Pete paused, taking a long look at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You look tired. Didn't get some sleep last night, did ya?" Pete gave him a grin.

"What?"

"Well..." Pete pointed with his head in the direction of the staircase, wiggling with his eyebrows, still grinning.

"Ah geez. Do me a favour and go back to work." Luke snorted before he reached for the notepad and walked to the tables.

Miss Patty and Babette were sitting on a table at the window, whispering to each other.

"You sure she didn't come home last night?" Miss Patty asked curiously.

"Yes, I stayed up pretty long and I didn't notice anything. Her jeep is still out there? The same place as yesterday?" Babette asked.

Miss Patty looked out of the window, "As far as I remember. Yes, that's where Lorelai parked her car yesterday."

"Then she stayed over night."

"Over night." Miss Patty nodded and took a quick glance to Luke who was still taking orders at other tables. "I asked Kirk and Luke was at the pharmacy yesterday, buying some medicine. So it might be true that Lorelai is sick." Her eyes wandered back to Babette.

"Yeah, might be." She paused for a moment. "Or not."

"What do you mean?"

"You know Luke Danes. He's not a very _social_ guy, is he? He's not the most helpful person here in Stars Hollow."

"But it's different when it comes to Lorelai. She just have to look at him with her big puppy eyes and he comes running to help her. In any kind of situation." She propped her chin on the palm of her hand, watching Luke. "And that's what he was telling Sookie on the phone yesterday. Luke didn't want her to be alone now that Rory is away. That's what I heard."

"Right, she is on that trip to Washington. Aw, poor Lorelai."

"Poor? She has Luke to take care of her." Miss Patty grinned.

"Yeah. What else could a woman wish for."

"Well..." Patty watched Luke, her eyes wandering over his body. "I'd know something."

Babette let out a laugh and pinched Patty's arm. "Stop your dirty thoughts."

"What if not?" She grinned and turned to Luke who approached their table.

"Ladies." Luke said and flipped over to the next page of his notepad, looking at them.

"Hey sweetheart. We missed you earlier. Where have you been?" Patty asked curiously.

"Well, upstairs you know. So, what can I get you?"

"You're a morning person. Don't tell me you slept in late."

"Well, actually I did. It was a rough night." He said but when it was out of his mouth and he noticed both their looks he immediately regretted it.

"And we all know why." Babette whispered to Miss Patty.

"Rough night, huh?"

Luke cleared his throat, trying to avoid their gaze. "Yeah. The other customers are waiting for their food, so..."

"Sure. Just two cups of coffee."

"Okay." Luke scribbled it down and was already half on the way back behind the counter when Miss Patty called him again.

"And Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Just one last quick question."

"Okay."

"This is Lorelai's car out there, right?"

Luke squinted his eyes to the jeep which was parking right in front of the Diner. "Uhm, yeah."

"We were just wondering where she is."

"Uhh.." _That's just great_. Luke shifted his feet, pondering. "Well, she is... _God, you can't tell them. They'll jump into wrong conclusions. They definitely will._

"Yeah?" Both bent forward, looking up at Luke and waiting for his answer.

_ Nothing happened. It's nothing, so they can know, right?_ "Well, she's asleep."

"Asleep? Where?" Patty raised both of her eyebrows, grinning.

"Luke. Telephone." Pete called him from behind the counter.

_ Thank god_ . "Coming." Luke answered over his shoulder. "Sorry, so two cups of coffee." He quickly added before he rushed behind the counter to grab the phone. "Hallo?"

"Luke, it's me. Rory."

"Hey Rory. Just a second." He covered the receiver. "Pete, please get them their coffees, would you?"

"Sure." Pete grabbed the coffee pot and walked away.

"Okay, it's one of those days you know."

"Sure. Morning rush. Uhm, I just wanted to ask... do you know where my Mom is? I called her at home and she doesn't answer her cell phone either. I'm starting to get a little worried."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. I wanted to call you already. Your mom is okay. She's upstairs and asleep."

"Upstairs? Like... in your apartment?"

_God, why is it that everyone have to ask him the same questions?_

He sighed. "Yes. I let her stay with me. I thought it would be better if she's not alone in her fever-drunken state you know."

"I told her to lay down right after she brought me to Hartford but I guess she didn't. Right?"

"She went to work until Michel sent her home."

"Oh yeah, that's typical, isn't it?"

"Don't worry. She took some medicine and she slept a lot. I'm sure she's going to be fine soon."

"I should've stayed at home."

"Hey, I have everything under control. Please don't worry, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks Luke. Mom can be so lucky to have you. Oh okay, gotta go. Tell mom to give me a call when she's better, okay?"

"Sure."

"Thanks. Bye Luke."

"Take care. Bye."

* * *

To be continued ...

_**Some feedback would be nice but you know how it works. Hehe :)**_

_**Thanks :) **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thank you sooo much for all your nice reviews. I can't say how much they mean to me. :hugs everybody:D  
Well, okay here's the new Chapter. Enjoy :)**_

* * *

**Chapter 5 **

Luke grabbed the small paper bag from under the countertop and made his way over to the staircase. "Pete, I'm upstairs."

"Sure." He answered before he turned back to the customer he was talking to.

Luke entered his apartment quietly, closing the door shut behind him. He saw that Lorelai was still asleep and walked over to the kitchen, placing the paper bag on the table. Then he started to make some chicken soup. He figured Lorelai would be hungry later because she hadn't eaten since the day before.

After half an hour, he put the bowl with chicken soup and a toast on a tray and walked over to his bedroom. He looked at her as he sat down on the side of the bed and placed the tray on her nightstand.

"Lorelai." Luke whispered, reaching forward to brush a strand of hair out of her face. Her burning forehead told him that she was still having a fever. He didn't know what to do. On one hand, it was good that she was sleeping a lot but it would be time for her to take her medicine. It was almost noon .

Luke's fingers trailed down her temples, he was caressing her cheeks softly. "Lorelai." He whispered again.

Lorelai began to stir and sighed deeply as she reached up to touch his hand on her cheek. "Mhhhm."

"Hey sleepyhead. Time to wake up."

"Luke..." she sighed sleepily. Her eyes still closed as she mumbled. "I'm tired... and our babies as well."

"Our..." Luke paused and looked slightly irritated. "... babies"

"Yeah, our babies." She pulled the covers up to her chin and cuddled into her pillow.

_ What the hell is she talking about? __She must be dreaming. Of course, that's it. But, that means she's having a dream about him. A dream where she's pregnant with babies. His babies_. _Wait, babies means more than one. Oh god, twins maybe? _

He repeated those words in his head, repeatedly. A small smile was playing on his lips. Maybe it was better when he let her sleep a little longer.

"Have I ever told you how much I adore you"

"Once or twice." Luke chuckled and leaned back against the tree with spreading legs, Lorelai lying in-between.

"You came to the "_Bid on a basket_" festival with me. " she tilted her head up to look at him.

"I know."

"_And_ you bid on my basket. I didn't even have to force you like a few years ago. Remember"

"You mean the day you came into my Diner and literally begged me to? Hardly." He laughed and placed a small kiss on her forehead while he entangled his fingers with hers.

"I was looking for someone to save me and I thought you'd be a good hero. _My_ hero."

"Hero, huh"

"Yeah. _My_ hero Luke."

"I like this title. It has a nice ring, hasn't it"

"Yeah." Lorelai laughed. "And now you're sitting here with me, having a picnic. On the floor. On the _grass_."

"Yes."

"You're doing this though I know you hate it."

"I don't hate it. It's pretty nice actually." Luke nodded smiling.

"It is"

"Yeah." He laid his hands on her well-formed belly.

"Thanks for saying that. You're so cute."

"Don't say I'm cute."

"Why" She asked innocently, though she knew that he did not like to hear his name and cute in the same sentence.

"Because I'm _not_ cute."

"Yes, you are. You're my cutey Lukey." She giggled. Oh, teasing him was so much fun.

Luke rolled his eyes and continued to caress her belly. "Don't listen, babies. You may have a _cool _Daddy but not a cute one."

Lorelai gasped. "Luke Danes. Stop telling lies to our children, would you"

"Don't listen what your Mommy is saying." Luke whispered but very closely against Lorelai's ear so that she was able to hear it.

Lorelai let out a small laugh, laying her hand on top of Luke's. "Let's talk later babies when Daddy is back at work."

"That's no fair."

"I know." Lorelai giggled and looked up at him again. "Love you." she reached up, pulling him down until their lips met in a gentle kiss.

Lorelai woke up with a start and she found herself in a sitting position, sweating heavily. She sighed, running her hands over her tired face.

When Luke heard that she was awake, he walked over to her. "Hey, you okay" He slightly touched her arm what caused her to jump.

She swallowed and looked up at him. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

"Bad dream again" He sat down on the bed, rubbing her arm gently.

"No... yes..." She sighed and met his eyes. _God, that was definitely not a bad dream. _

"What? No or yes" Luke smiled.

"I... I don't remember anymore." She said and looked away. _Of course she remembered. Being pregnant with Luke's babies. Touching him, kissing him... oh god. _

"Okay." He reached up to touch her face. "So, how do you feel"

Lorelai closed her eyes when she felt Luke's warm hand. "Better." She paused for a moment before she added. "Much better."

"You're still having a fever. Maybe you should take one of those pills again, okay" He caressed her cheek with his thump.

She nodded and slowly opened her eyes, holding Luke's gaze for a moment. _He's so sweet how he's taking care of me even though he probably has some other things to do. Well, sure he has. _

Luke pulled his hand away and reached over to the nightstand, handing Lorelai a pill and the glass of water. She swallowed it down without a word.

"Are you hungry"

"Uhm, well actually... yes, I am." She rubbed her empty stomach with a sigh.

"I made you some chicken soup. I just have to heat it up again. Is that okay"

"Sounds good." She leaned back against the headboard.

"Okay, I'll be right back." Luke took the tray and went over to the kitchen where he put the bowl of soup into the microwave for a few minutes. Then he walked back to Lorelai and handed it to her. She took it thankfully and started to eat.

Luke watched her for a moment and thought of something they could talk about. "Uhm, Rory called earlier."

"Oh my god, I forgot to call her yesterday, like I promised to."

"It's okay. I told her everything."

"You did" She asked carefully.

"Yeah."

"And... did she say anything"

"No, she was in a hurry. She was just looking for you because she couldn't reach you at home and on your cell phone."

"Oh. I don't even know where it is." She placed the bowl of soup on the nightstand and looked around.

"Everything's over there. Call her when you're feeling better, okay? She's out now anyway."

"You're right." She sighed and looked down at her hands. "Uhm, Luke"

"Yeah"

"Uhm, I was just wondering... do you mind if I'll take a bath"

"A bath" His eyes narrowed. "You think that's a good idea. I mean, with the fever and everything"

"But I feel awful. All sweaty and sticky and...god, I need a bath. Please."

"Well..."

Lorelai started to pout. She knew he was never able to resist when she was looking at him like that.

Luke let out a breath. "Yeah, okay."

"Oh, thank you _so_ much." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"You're welcome." He cleared his throat and got up to walk to the bathroom. "I fill you some water into the tub."

Getting up as well, she followed him. "I can do that."

Luke turned on the water. When he moved around, he pumped into Lorelai who was already standing behind him. "Oh, sorry."

"It's okay." She shifted her gaze up to meet his eyes, swallowing. They were still standing close.

"Shower gel and towels are over there. So... you can take whatever you need." He was staring at her with intensity that made heat rush over her skin.

"Thanks." Her voice was just above a whisper.

After a while, he cleared his throat. "Well, I should... leave you alone now." He said and left the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him.

Lorelai looked down and chuckled slightly.

A few minutes later, Lorelai heard a soft knock on the door. She was already lying in the tub with bubbles up to her chin. "Yeah"

"Is everything okay" Luke asked her through the closed door.

"Everything's perfect." She sighed deeply and closed her eyes again. She felt so relaxed that she could almost fall asleep.

"Good. Oh and I forgot. You can slip into my bathrobe. It's clean, so you can use it. I don't want you to freeze when you get out of the water."

Lorelai looked around and found it hanging on the wall, next to the towels. "Got it. Thanks."

She stepped out of the water, grabbed a towel to dry herself before she slipped into Luke's bathrobe. It was a little too big but very soft and cosy. "Aw, that's nice." She whispered with a smile when she looked at herself in the mirror. _Mhh, and it smells nice too. _

A minute later, she came out of the bathroom and found Luke in the kitchen, making fresh tea.

"Finished."

He moved around and smiled. "I can see that."

"I love that robe." She ran her fingers over the material. "Very cosy."

"I know." He said and grabbed the small paper bag from the table.

"What's in there"

"I thought uhm… maybe you want a doughnut." He held the small bag out to her.

Her face lit up, looking from the bag to his face. "I'm _so_ for a doughnut right now." She walked over to him. "You're the best."

"I wasn't sure whether you like a doughnut or a muffin."

"You can never be wrong with a doughnut." she smiled and took the bag out of his hands, touching his fingers slightly.

"I figured that." He brought out hesitantly.

"Yeah" She moved a little closer.

"Yes." He noticed her movements. "I almost always know what you need."_ Why's she coming closer? _

"Is that so"

Luke nodded, his eyes still focused on her.

"Then tell me what do I need now" She gave him a smile.

"Your… doughnut"

"No." She shook her head.

"If you want me to give you coffee, I'm sorry. Coffee is all downstairs. But I made some tea."

"I don't want coffee either." _Did I just say that?_

"Then what"

"This." She took one last step toward him and pressed her lips against Luke's. She wanted to know how it was to kiss Luke. And not just in her dreams. No, she had to know it in real.

Her hands reached up to touch his face, when she tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss.

She took him totally off guard but soon she felt him relax and he allowed himself to slide into the kiss as well. He slowly opened his mouth, allowing her tongue to enter. Grabbing her by her waist, he pulled her close until she was resting against his body. Soon they were breathing heavily but they were unable to stop what they were doing. It felt too good to be true.

Lorelai's fingers trailed up into his hair, holding him close. Her mouth became more demanding with every minute. It was better than in her dream. It damn well was.

Suddenly they were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Luke, can you come downstairs for a minute"

Breathlessly, they pulled apart, looking at each other.

"Coming" Luke shouted.

"I'm waiting downstairs." Pete answered and walked away.

"I... better go." Luke stammered, still holding Lorelai's gaze.

"Okay." She chuckled and looked down, her face flushed.

With a small smile, he walked away and left the apartment.

Lorelai was still standing there, trailing her fingers over her lips. _Wow. What was that? _She thought with a smile.

No matter what it was. It felt good. And yes, it _was_ better than in her dreams.

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**So, you wanted more Luke/Lorelai action. Here it was. LOL  
I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review. Thanks :) **_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thanks a bunch for all your nice reviews:)**_

_**Julia:**_ Aw, finally you had the chance to read all of it. Hehe! What side of me are you talking about? LOL :P

_**Debbie**_: A fight? Well, bring it on.. hehe! lol

_**Melanie: **_That was my favorite part too.. well, who would've thought, huh? LOL

_**Okay, here's the next chapter. I'm not sure if it's that good but well... last episode kind of brought me into a bad bad mood and my muse got a little idealess. But I tried my best. lol  
I know, it's going to be really hard now for us. So I really want to write something nice and sweet and you know... just some fluffy things to overcome that next few weeks. Thank god for fanfictions, huh:sigh:  
Anyway, enough rambling. Here it is. Enjoy :) **_

* * *

**_Chapter 6 _**

Lorelai was still standing in the middle of Luke's apartment, staring at the door Luke disappeared a few minutes ago. She still couldn't believe what she had done.

She took her cell phone out of her purse and made herself comfortable on Luke's bed. Then she dialled Rory's number.

"Hello"

"Hey." Lorelai started but was soon interrupted by a coughing fit. "It's me."

"Ah really? Wouldn't have noticed." Rory answered. "How do you feel"

"Well..." she touched her forehead. "I might still have a little fever but actually I'm felling pretty good." She couldn't help but grin.

"So, Luke told me you are staying at his place"

"Yeah."

"Whose idea was that"

"Well, Luke's."

"Of course." Rory grinned.

"Hun, do you have... time to talk" Lorelai asked carefully, playing with a strand of hair.

"Yeah, we just had lunch and it's pretty noisy in here. Hold on." Rory told her and walked out of the room. "Okay, now I'm good."

"Okay, I have to tell you something." Lorelai said and stopped.

"Sounds big."

"Big? Well, I don't know. Yeah, maybe... could be. I'm not sure."

"Mom, you're rambling. What happened"

"Uhm, okay. You know uhm... that it's very likely to have some dreams when you're feverish."

"Yep."

"Weird dreams."

"Nightmares"

"No no. Not nightmares. Just different dreams."

"What are _different_ dreams" 'Rory asked frowning.

"For example uhm... dreams in which I'm... pregnant."

"Awww, really"

"With Luke's babies." Lorelai added and waited for a reaction.

"Babies? Plural? So, twins huh"

"Did you hear what I was saying"

"You were pregnant with twins."

"From _Luke_." She emphasized his name clearly.

"Yes. I heard that too."

"Doesn't that sound _weird_"

"Not really. I mean, you're staying at his place. He's taking care of you and all that kind of thing. So that's a reasoning imagination."

"Yes, totally."

"Mom, c'mon."

"It was more than being pregnant with his kids."

"Then tell me."

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Okay, in my first dream..."

"Wow, how many dreams did you have" Rory interrupted her, laughing.

"Two actually. Anyway, I was at my place and there were all this painting cans in your old room. I started to paint the walls and that was when Luke came home."

"Sounds pretty normal actually. We all know you _love _painting."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and continued. "Then... he told me to stop because it's not good for our babies."

"Very careing."

"Rory, stay serious please."

"I am."

"So, he told me to stop and was caressing my belly and..." She paused for a moment. "Okay and now second dream."

"I'm listening."

"We were outside near the Gazebo. It was right after Luke bid for my basket. So we were having this little picnic in the grass. It was _really _nice and Luke was so sweet, talking to my stomach." She sighed.

"Awww, he was talking to your stomach? Really? Daddy Luke."

"Yes, he did. And then we kissed." She added hesitantly. "Rory"

"Well, at least we know that you are not a dream tramp."

"Haha. So what do you think"

"I don't know. What do _you _think"

"This was definitely not a nightmare."

"I think so too." Rory smiled. "Mom, don't worry. It was just a dream. That happens when you're having a fever."

"I know." She smelled at Luke's robe. "But I'm not quite finished yet."

"Oh, there's more"

"Yeah..." Lorelai took a deep breath before she continued. "We kissed."

"I know, you told me that a minute ago. Remember"

"No, I mean... we kissed. Not just in my dreams but in real."

"In real"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"_Oh_? Why do you say _oh_? What does _oh _mean? Rory I just told you that I kissed Luke and all you can say is _Oh_"

"Well, I expected this to happen. Sooner or later. But not now. Not when you're sick. I don't believe he agreed. It's your fault when he's going to be sick too, you know"

"I know but he's such a healthy man. I'm sure his immune system is strong."

"Yeah." She made a pause. "So, what's going to happen now with you and Luke? Did you like kissing him"

"Hun, I have no idea. But it was a great kiss. Yeah, it really was. But... it's... all I can say is that I really liked it. I have no idea what he's thinking. Maybe he was like, oh god what is she doing? Get this woman away from me."

Rory laughed"Yeah, sure."

"I guess we have to see what happens next."

"That might be a good idea."

When Lorelai heard someone coming up the stairs, she quickly said. "Okay, he's coming back. Bye." She closed the cell phone and threw it back into her purse on the floor.

Luke opened the door and saw Lorelai sitting on the bed.

"Hey." Lorelai said shyly, looking at him. "Everything okay"

"Yeah, Pete had some problems with a delivery guy. He wouldn't accept Pete's signature." Luke said, shoving his hands in the back pockets of his jeans.

"Oh, okay."

"Yeah." Luke answered. _Man, this was awkward_. "So, you feeling better" _Yes, great start of a conversation. It's not like you haven't ask her that earlier. _

Lorelai nodded with a small smile. "That's the magic of medications."

"That's good."

There was silence.

"Uhm Luke"

"Yes"

"I can't stay in your robe forever though I really love it but... you know... "

"Oh yeah, right. I... do you want me to go to your house and get some stuff for you"

_ He wants me to stay. _ She looked down at her fingers and couldn't help but smile.

"I mean, you're still sick right? So it'd be better if you stay... here... a little longer."

She slowly looked up to meet his eyes. "But uhm..." she paused for a moment what caused Luke's heart almost to stop. "...I have to give you my key. The extra key isn't on his old place anymore since my mother had the nerve to broke into my house."

Luke's face relaxed at her words. "Sure."

"Good." Lorelai put the covers aside and threw her legs over the edge of the bed to grab her purse. The robe slipped a little upwards her leg and Luke couldn't help himself to look at her exposed skin.

"Okay, here." She held the keys out to him.

"What" He shifted his gaze up to the key in her hands. "Oh yeah, the keys. Thanks." He grabbed it and shoved them into the pocket of his jeans. "Uhm, Lorelai"

"Yes"

"What happened earlier, I mean... where we...you know..." Luke gestured with his hands.

"Kissed" Lorelai said carefully.

"Yeah, kissed. It's uhm..."

_ Oh no, he didn't like it. What was I thinking, kissing him like that? _ "Luke, I'm sorry. I... I... I shouldn't have done this. Maybe we should forget that it happened okay, if you..." She studied him for a moment to see if he was going to respond but there was nothing. So she added almost sadly. "Yeah, let's forget about it."

"I don't want to forget about it." Luke shook his head.

"No"

"No. I mean, it was a great kiss."

"Yeah" Lorelai said, her lips forming a small smile.

"Unless you want to forget that it happened, then... it's okay."

"No, no. I don't want to forget it either.

"Good. That's good." Luke was still looking at her.

"It's just..." she slowly crawled out of the bed. "...I shouldn't have done this."

"No, maybe you shouldn't." He made a step closer.

"I mean, what was I thinking? I'm all sick and I literally jumped you. That was just not right, I mean... it was not supposed to happen because now it's all my fault when you're getting si..."

Luke grabbed her hands and pulled her toward him, silencing her with a kiss.

Pulling apart, she slowly opened her eyes. "What was that"

"You were rambling." Luke said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"And you were just looking for a way to shut me up"

"Exactly."

"Uh-huh." Lorelai blushed and looked down.

"And it's a damn good way if you're asking me."

"Because it works"

"That's just the side effect." He gave her a smile. "I better go now."

"Yeah, because I'd like to get dressed some time."

"Sure." He smiled and left his apartment.

* * *

_**To be continued... **_

_**Okay, that was chapter 6. I hope you liked it. **_

_**Reviewing would be nice, thanks:) **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thanks for your nice reviews. Here's the new chapter. Enjoy :)**_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Lorelai woke up when it was already dark outside. She sat up and glanced at the alarm clock - it was 8.30pm . Right after Luke left to get her some stuff from her house, she fell asleep.

Reaching up to her forehead, she groaned. "Damn headache." She grabbed a pill from her nightstand and swallowed it down, hoping that she might feel better soon.

When she looked around, she noticed that she was alone in Luke's apartment. The only light was a small lamp over at the kitchen. _Still downstairs_, she thought when she threw her legs over the edge of the bed. That was when she saw a bag of clothes right in front of her on the floor. Apparently, Luke brought it upstairs earlier. She took out some sweatpants and a long-sleeves shirt and hurried into the bathroom to get dressed. When she was finished she decided to go downstairs, looking for Luke - and coffee. Maybe.

Peeking through the curtain, which separated the Diner from the staircase, she noticed him standing behind the counter, refilling the salt and pepper shakers from all the tables.

"Luke." She whispered but he didn't hear her. So she called him again. "Luke?"

He turned around when he heard his name. "Lorelai. What's wrong? You okay?"

"Is someone here?" She whispered again. _What would people think if she comes downstairs wearing pyjamas, late in the evening_.

"What? Oh, I already closed up." He walked to her and pulled the curtain aside.

"Good." She smiled and walked to the other side of the counter to sit down on one of the stools, sighing.

"You found the bag." Luke noted when he saw the clothes she was wearing.

"Yes. Thanks again."

"You're welcome. Uhm, Babette saw me."

"Oh."

"Yes, I was just locking up the front door when she hurried over to me. Asked me what I was doing at your house and if everything is okay. Yeah." Luke waved it off and put the refilled salt and pepper shakers on a tray.

"What did you say?"

"I told her I had to fix your tub because you broke it a few days ago."

"I broke it? That's so... unlikely." She grinned at him. "By the way, talking about broking things. I think the sink in the kitchen is clogged up."

"Again?"

"I guess." She grinned innocently.

"The last time I fixed it, I told you not to put full plates into the sink because that's what happens when you rinse left-overs down there." He told her sighing.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's your sink."

"But you're the only one I know who can fix it again."

"No I'm _not_." He let out a small laugh.

"Yes, you are."

He looked at her and sighed. "Okay, tell me when I shall come over."

"Thank you. You're the best." Winningly, she clapped her hands together. "So, do you need some help here?" She asked, looking at the big amount of shakers on the countertop.

"I'm almost done."

"Okay." She stayed silent for a moment before she grabbed his arm. "_Luuuuke_?"

He lifted his head to look at her. "What now?"

Lorelai looked at him with puppy eyes. Her mouth was forming a pout. Oh yes, that famous Lorelai pout.

When he saw her face, he knew exactly what she wanted and he shook his head. "No."

"Luke, pleeeease." She tried again.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer, Mister."

"Fine. There should be one situation in which coffee is not an option. And guess what? This situation is now. Besides the fact that you shouldn't drink coffee on this time of the day anyway. You won't be able to sleep the whole night."

"I doubt that I can sleep anyway when I slept almost during the whole day."

"You can have some tea."

"No tea. Coffee, coffee, _coffee_. Just one cup. Pretty please." She begged, still holding Luke's gaze.

Luke pondered and let out a deep sigh.

"I'm just being polite you know because I could get me some coffee myself." She nodded.

"Yeah? How's that?" Luke asked, hands on his hips.

"Well...", she motioned with her eyes over to the coffee machine.

"You can _not _come back here." Luke gestured around, shaking his head.

"Why not?"

"This is working area. _My _working area. You can't come back here without my permission." Luke told her, trying to stay serious.

"Your permission, huh?" She slowly slipped off the chair to walk on the other side of the counter but Luke blocked her way.

"What are you trying?"

"What does it look like?" She looked up at him, batting her eyelashes innocently.

Luke stood between the two countertops, placing each hand on one of them. "Like you're trying to sneak in here though I told you not to."

"Who? Me? I'd never do that without your _permission_." Lorelai's lips twitched into a small grin.

"Good."

"So, Luke Danes. Then tell me what is there to do to get your permission?"

"Show yourself willing to drink tea every once in a while."

"Checked."

"What?"

"Checked. I was drinking tea the whole day, remember?"

"True."

She smiled widely, "Next one."

"Hmm, what about... don't annoy the Diner owner."

Lorelai gasped. "I don't annoy anyone. What makes you think that? Because I'm like the sweetest person _ever_." She made a step closer, brushing with her fingers over the buttons of his shirt.

"I had the impression every now and then."

"That I'm the sweetest person? Oh why, thank you."

"No, that you annoy me." Luke let out a small laugh.

"Then my dear, you were obviously wrong."

He looked down at her fingers and swallowed. "You're not trying to seduce me to get your coffee, don't you?"

Lorelai shook her head, grinning.

"Lorelai."

"I'd never do that."

"Seduce me?"

"Seduce you - yes. Seduce you to get some coffee - no. I'm not like that." She smiled, her hands resting on Luke's broad and muscular chest.

"It wouldn't work anyway. I'm not that easy." Luke grinned, not moving to give her the slightest chance to walk past him and over to the coffee machine.

Lorelai looked down for a moment and made another step towards him. They were standing close. Very close. Looking up, she found his eyes intently staring at her. She felt her stomach flip. But definitely in a good way.

_Wow, look what he's doing to me_.

Luke felt her coming closer. Felt her sweet breath on his face. "Lorelai, we..." He brought out before Lorelai pressed her lips against his. After a moment he eased back to look at her. "...shouldn't be doing this."

Placing a finger on his lips, she smiled and leaned forward to kiss him again. Luke felt her taking his hands to settle them around her waist. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to slide into the kiss as well. He felt her fingers trailing up to the collar of his shirt until she reached the back of his neck where she played softly with his hair.

"Oh god." Luke moaned and deepened the kiss, pulling her close until their bodies were pressed against each other.

Lorelai smiled through the kiss and linked her arms around his neck. Her heart was pounding so fast that she was afraid that her chest might explode every second.

After a few minutes they pulled apart and Luke rested his forehead against hers, smiling. "You don't think that this is the right method to get your coffee, because it's not."

Lorelai giggled. "It's not?"

"Nope." Luke shook his head. When he squinted his eyes over to the door he noticed someone standing out there. It was Sookie, looking at them with wide eyes. "Oh god."

"Hm?" Lorelai looked at him questionly and followed his gaze. "Oops."

Luke pulled apart from her. "I told you we shouldn't be doing this."

"Relax." She gave Luke a smile before she walked to the door and opened it. "Hey Sook."

"Lorelai... I just... uhm... you know... I wanted to check on you... if everything is okay..." Sookie's eyes shifted back to Luke, who put the salt and pepper shakers back on the tables, intentionally avoiding her gaze. "I saw that the lights were still on here, so..."

"Sookie, I'm fine." Lorelai looked down at her feet, hiding a small grin.

"I can see that." She looked at her friend for a moment before she grabbed Lorelai's arm and pulled her outside. "Oh my goodness, Lorelai." She started excitedly.

"Yes?" She looked up.

"You." Sookie pointed at her, grinning.

"What?" Lorelai asked laughing. Then she added. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You and Luke."

Lorelai winced. "How much did you see?"

"How much was there to see?" Sookie asked impatiently.

"Sookie. Nothing happened."

"You kissed. You and Luke... you kissed."

"I know."

"That's not _nothing_. That's big. That's huge." Sookie gestured excitedly with her hands.

"Maybe a little louder so that the whole town will know it too." Lorelai looked around the place, nervously.

"You." Sookie grinned like a fool and slapped her softly on her arm. "And here I was worried about you being sick and everything."

"I am." Lorelai pointed out.

"Sure." Sookie winked at her.

"Stop that, Sook. I _am_ sick. Luke was taking care of me and then... I don't know if it's because of the medication I have to take but... somehow... Luke and I... we..." Lorelai stopped and looked up at Sookie again. "We kissed."

"And it's great, isn't it?"

Lorelai answered hesitantly, a smile on her face. "Yeah."

"That's so great. Next time we see each other you have to tell me everything." Sookie said and noticed that Lorelai was shivering. "You better go inside. And now that I know in what good hands you are I'm definitely feeling better about Rory being not in town. Bye hun'."

"Bye Sook." Lorelai answered and watched her friend walking away before she went back inside, locking the door behind her.

With the empty tray in his hands, Luke walked back behind the counter. "You shouldn't go outside without a jacket."

"I'm good." She rubbed her arms to warm herself up again.

Luke noticed that and turned off the lights. "I'm finished. Let's go upstairs, okay?"

"Sounds good." She followed Luke to the stairs when she suddenly stopped, turning her head to the coffee machine. "But what about..."

Luke showed her the plastic cup he was holding in his hands.

"Awww." Her face lit up, a smile was forming on her lips. "You didn't forget."

"How could I?" His eyes met hers, holding her gaze for a moment before he turned to walk up the stairs. Lorelai followed him.

Upstairs, Lorelai closed the door behind her before she walked into the kitchen, where Luke was taking a bottle of water out of the fridge. He moved around and caught her glare.

"Lorelai."

"Luke."

They said at the same time and started to laugh.

"You first." Lorelai told him, playing with the sleeves of her shirt.

"Okay." Luke looked on the floor and back into her eyes. "I just thought we should... talk about what happened today."

"That's what I was about to say."

"Yeah?" Luke asked with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Yes." She grabbed the cup of coffee and walked over to the sofa where Luke joined her, throwing a blanket over her shoulders to warm her up. "I know we kinda talked about it this morning and we know that it was a great kiss." She smiled. "But... what does that mean now? For us?"

"I don't know." He bent forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Is this... weird for you, talking about an '_us'_?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"Not at all." Luke met her eyes again. "For you?"

Lorelai thought for a moment before she shook her head, smiling. "No. No weirdness here either."

"Good." His face relaxed and he took a deep breath.

"I mean, it's definitely new. For both of us but it's not a bad thing. On the contrary. You're my best friend and we know each other for years. And this situation yesterday and today, showed me how good we know each other. It's like you always know what I need. And that taking care of me, you have no idea how thankful I am for doing this for me. I know I always try to be this strong and independent woman but it's good to have someone you can depend on. Someone who catches you when you fall." She laughed. "And god knows you caught me when I was about to collapse in your Diner."

"Lorelai."

"But like I said, this whole situation made me realize something. That maybe the thing I was looking for was in front of me all the time. I just couldn't see it." She met his gaze. "I couldn't see _you_." She added whispering.

Luke looked on the floor, smiling. He felt Lorelai watching him from the side.

"Now would be a good time to say something. I'm already starting to feel like an idiot. I mean it's more than possible that this interest is just one-sided. I just wanted to say it _now _before I don't have the guts to do this again." She sighed. "Luke?"

He lifted his head, those beautiful eyes settling so intently on hers. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say something like that to me. All those years, I was thinking... what must happen that she finally notices me. I almost gave up on that."

"Good thing you didn't."

"Yes." He chuckled slightly.

"Soo, you wanna give it a try? Give _us _a try?" She shifted closer to him, slipping her hands around his arm, leaning her cheek against his shoulder. All the time looking at him.

"You don't even have to ask."

"Was that a _yes_?" She asked with a voice like a 5 year old.

"Yes."

Her smile grew wider, "You sure? Because just in case you haven't noticed already but sometimes I can be really crazy and loud _and... _annoying."

"You told me before that you aren't an annoying person." Luke remembered her, raising both of his eyebrows.

"Oh, uhm... maybe this was an itty bitty lie." She bit on her lower lip, trying to give him an innocent look.

"Because you wanted my coffee." Luke nodded.

"No, because I wanted you." Lorelai grinned. She grabbed the collar of Luke's shirt and pulled him down until he was laying on top of her.

* * *

_**To be continued... **_

_**Please read review. **_

_**Thanks :) **_


	8. Chapter 8

_Omg, I'm really sorry for not updating this long. But first I had a huge writers block. Maybe because of the events of the previous episodes which made me kinda depressed or whatever but I couldn't write anything good. That really sucked. Thank god that everything's good again. YAY:)_

Now with college starting, it's kinda hard to find some time too but now I finally finished the new chapter. It's longer than usual and I really hope you'll like it. Enjoy. :)

* * *

**Chapter 8**

They were still lying on the sofa in Luke's apartment, surrounded by silence and darkness. Luke was on his side with Lorelai in front of him, her back against his chest and her head resting on his left arm. His other arm was loosely around her waist.

Luke had just closed his eyes, enjoying to be that close to Lorelai, when she started to cough. When it was over, she rested her head back on his arm, letting out a deep sigh.

Luke snuggled closer to her ear and whispered, "Hey."

Shivers were running down her spine, when she felt Luke's breath against her neck. She smiled and tilted her head to look at him. "Hey."

"You okay?"

"Never been better." She smiled and glided with her fingers down Luke's arm she was laying on with her head. When she reached his hand, she entwined her fingers with his.

"Good."

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You didn't." He told her, brushing with his other free hand some hair out of her face.

"Why? It's in the middle of the night."

"Too much distraction next to me."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah." He whispered.

"Then I'd better leave you alone here and go over to your bed." She lifted her head slightly to get up but Luke held her down.

"Just kidding. Please stay." He held her to him, close to his body.

"Luke, you need your sleep."

"I'm fine."

"You have to get up early."

"I have Caesar and Pete to open up for me, remember? Please." He trailed his fingers over the side of her body.

Closing her eyes at the feeling of his touch, she gave in. "'kay. But don't let me fell off the sofa."

"Never." He pressed her further against him, his fingers glided over to her belly, caressing her ever so softly.

"Even though we should try to get some sleep, okay?" Lorelai smiled into the darkness.

"Mhm." Luke mumbled against her ear, while he slowly searched the hem of her shirt to slide his hand underneath it, drawing circles on the soft skin of her belly.

Lorelai closed her eyes grinning, enjoying Luke's touch. "Ah, those magic hands again."

He smiled. "You like that?"

"Yeah." She felt her heartbeat increase with every second she felt Luke's hand on her.

"I like that too."

"Don't. Ever. Stop." She said, punctuating each word clearly.

_Oh god. _

This felt so incredible, she couldn't believe it. What would happen if he'd touch her on other parts of her body? _Kiss_ her in other parts? She definitely couldn't wait to find out.

* * *

_ Next morning_

Lorelai woke up first. She took a glimpse at Luke to see if he was still asleep. And yes, he was. She carefully turned in his arms so that she was facing him, leaning her head against his chest. Hesitantly, she reached to the buttons of his shirt and opened them one after the other, all the time being careful that she wouldn't wake him up.

Slowly, she slipped her hand under his shirt and found his well-built abdomen. She was wondering when he found the time to do some work out to get all these muscles when he was at the Diner almost every minute of the day.

Smiling, Lorelai closed her eyes again. Absentmindedly, she was caressing him under his shirt, her fingers playing with his soft hair.

Suddenly she felt Luke stir, "That feels nice." He told her in a sleepy voice.

"It does?" She tilted her head up to meet his eyes, smiling.

"Yeah."

"That was my intention." She kissed him softly on the lips. "Morning."

"Morning." Luke smiled back at her. "How do you feel?"

"Fabulous. But next time we'll take the bed."

"Why? Not comfortable enough?" Luke grinned.

"Well, actually…" She glided her hand further up his chest. "… it was _very_ comfortable. But every time I moved an inch I was afraid of falling off the sofa."

Luke laughed. "Okay, next time the bed it is."

"Okay." She smiled. "What time is it?"

"Uhm, it's nine."

"Oh, okay." She slowly sat up, playing with the sleeves of her shirt, nibbling her lower lip.

"What's wrong?" Luke sat up too.

"I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"If I should go to work today."

He met her eyes. "Well, when you think you're already up to it."

"I don't know." She sighed.

"I wouldn't rush things, Lorelai. It's not like the Inn can't run without you."

"How nice." She looked at him.

"No, I mean for a short amount of time." He gave her a smile. "And Michel handled it good so far, did he?"

"I guess. I mean, he didn't call or anything. So I asume that the Inn is still standing."

"See. And we should definitely check your temperature first. It seemed to be pretty high in the last days so we should make sure that it's really gone." Luke gently touched her forehead. "What do you think?"

"I can't say."

"I think I have a thermometer somewhere."

"'kay."

Luke lifted himself from the sofa and walked over to his bathroom, rummaged through some drawers until he came back and handed her the thermometer. "Here. Haven't used it in a while. I'm hardly ever sick."

"Lucky you."

"Okay uhm, I'll grab a quick shower before I go downstairs. Just checking if everything's all right and stuff."

"Yeah. Okay." Lorelai laid back down and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

A few minutes later, Luke came out of the bathroom, only clad with a towel around his waist. When he saw that Lorelai's eyes were closed, he tiptoed over to his closet.

She heard that Luke was back in the room and opened her eyes, seeing him in front of his closet, his bare back facing her. With a smile on her lips, she admired his well trained body, the dancing muscles on his broad shoulders and upper arms while he leaned inside the closet.

"Wow."

Luke turned around and saw her watching him with a smile. "Hm?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just looking."

"Looking? At what?"

"Hm, I don't know. What's there to look at. The closet? Those beautiful painted walls or those curtains? Or is it that hot man standing not that far away from me, half naked, clad in just a towel. A _very _small towel if I may add." Lorelai giggled when she noticed his look.

Luke laughed and shook his head. "How would I know?"

"Then I'm telling you. It's those curtains of course."

"Of course, because they're so pretty." Luke nodded grinning and tightened the towel around him.

"Very."

"Sorry, I forgot to take some clothes with me."

"Absolutely nothing to be sorry about." Her eyes wandered from his eyes to his chest, his shoulders, his arms, his abdomen... there were muscles everywhere. _Wow_!

"I thought you fell a sleep again." He noticed how her eyes roamed his body and suddenly felt kind of embarrassed, standing in front of her like that. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the closet and took out a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. "Okay uhm, I better go and get myself dressed." Luke brought out hesitantly.

"There's no hurry." She made herself comfortable on the bed, her eyes never leaving him.

"Maybe not for you. I go back into...you know..." he gestured into the direction of the bathroom. "...uhm yeah, I'll be right back." He disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes before he came out again, fully dressed.

_ Oh what a shame. _

Luke grabbed his baseball cap from the couch table and put it on. Yes, he was feeling a lot more comfortable right now. "What can I get you for breakfast?"

"Uhm...it would be great if you could make me some of your famous blueberry pancakes." She smiled widely.

"Then blueberry pancakes it is."

"Thanks. And maybe some..."

"Coffee?" Luke asked, looking at her. When he noticed that she was smiling, he continued. "Pancakes, coffee. Something else?"

Lorelai thought for a moment before she answered. "I'd love to..." But then she stopped. "No, forget it. Not important."

"Tell me."

She sighed. "Today is Thursday. I always get my new Instyle magazine on Thursday.

"Instyle magazine?"

"Yeah, but like I said... not important."

"No, it's okay. I can get you a copy." He nodded and shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. "So, did you take your temperature?"

"Uhm..." she glanced at the thermometer on the couch table. "Not yet."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Yes, Doctor Danes." Lorelai said pouting and reached for the thermometer.

"Good. I'll be right back then."

"Okay." Lorelai waited until Luke left the apartment before she got up and walked over to his bed. Grabbing the cell phone out of her purse, she plopped down on the bed and dialled the number of the Inn where Michel picked up the phone.

* * *

Luke came downstairs into the Diner where Pete was standing behind the counter, handing some orders to Caesar.

"Hey Pete. How's everything?"

"Oh hey Luke. Everything's under control. Don't worry." Pete nodded.

"Glad to hear that." Luke looked around. "So, you can still do this alone for some time? I have something… to do and… you know…" He gestured with his hands.

"Sure. There was just a call from one of your delivery guys. Don't know what it was about exactly but it has something to do with your orders from yesterday. I told them that you'd call back when you're in."

"Good. Okay. I'll do that. I just have some errands to fun first."

"Yeah." Pete grabbed the coffee pot to refill some mugs.

"Morning Luke." Kirk started, sitting at the counter, just finishing his cup of hot chocolate.

"Kirk." Luke nodded and made his way over to the door to leave when Kirk continued.

"Luke, may I talk to you for a minute?"

"Not now, Kirk." He told him and walked out the door. When he noticed that Kirk was following him, he stopped and turned around. At this very moment, Kirk stopped too and looked around the town square, avoiding his look.

"Kirk?" Luke started somewhat annoyed.

His head jerked back to look at him. "Yes Luke?"

"Were you just following me?"

"No, of course not."

Luke raised his eyebrows, studying him. "I'm just saying it once. Stop it. _Now_!" Luke gave him a fretful look before he disappeared into Doose's Market.

Miss Patty and Babette were standing in front of the newsstand, gossiping about the newest town rumours.

"Noooo, who told you that?" Miss Patty asked with wide eyes.

"I was talking to Gipsy earlier."

"But how should she know about that?" Miss Patty asked curiously.

"Well, she knows it from Andrew who talked to Jackson earlier."

"Wow. I always knew those two kids will come together. And it was about time anyway."

"Absolutely. They both deserve it."

"Who deserves what?" Bootsy approached them.

"Oh, Luke and Lorelai."

"What's with them?"

"They have something going on apparently. That's what we've heard." Miss Patty wriggled with her eyebrows.

"Yes, Lorelai was nowhere to be seen in the last few days. Luke has a new help in his Diner because he's always upstairs. Well, draw your own conclusions here."

"Hey Kirk." Miss Patty called him over. "Did you hear the latest town news?"

"Do you mean, Luke and Lorelai kissing at the Diner? Then yes."

Babette laughed. "Look at this. Those news are spreading like wildfire."

"And I know that Lorelai is staying at his place because she's sick. Luke was at the pharmacy a few days ago, buying some medications for her. Very nice for doing this for her, isn' it? Luke is such a good man. My mother is never taking care of me when I'm sick." Kirk told them with a serious face.

"Aw, poor sugar." She patted his arm. "So Lorelai is staying in his apartment?" Babette looked over to the windows above the Diner. "No wonder I haven't seen her at home since days."

* * *

With a paper bag in his hands, Luke came out of Doose's market and headed straight to the newsstand to get that magazine, Lorelai requested. It took him a time to roam through the magazines to find the right one.

"Need some help?"

Luke startled and turned around, "Geez, don't do that."

Bootsy studied him for a moment and asked again. "You looking for that fishing magazine? The new issue will come out next month."

"I'm not looking for the fishing magazine." Luke murmured, his eyes still roaming through the rows of magazines.

"Then what?" Bootsy waited for an answer but didn't get one. "Look, just tell me what you want. It's easier for both of us."

Luke closed his eyes and let out a deep breath before he leaned over and whispered. "Instyle magazine."

"What?"

"The Instyle magazine." Luke repeated through gritted teeth.

"Since when you're…"

"Just give me that magazine, okay?"

"Good choice, Luke." He heard Kirk behind him. "It's one of my favorite magazines because it has some nice topics about beauty and fashion. Those make-up tipps are awsome. I've tried them a few times and man, the descriptions are really helpful."

"Geez, Kirk. Don't tell me about that." Luke gestured him with his hand to stop.

"Yes, believe me. You won't regret it."

Luke paid Bootsy for the magazine and when he turned around, he bumped into Miss Patty and Babette.

"Hey sugar." Babette greeted him, eyeing the magazine in his hands.

"Oh hey." Luke cleared his throat. He rolled the magazine up and put it into his bag.

"Everything okay?"

"Uhm, I'm good. Thanks for asking." He looked at them for a moment before he continued. "I really gotta go. You know how the Diner is crowded at this time of day."

"But you have Pete helping you." Miss Patty told him smiling. She knew exactly why Luke was in such a hurry to go back to his place.

"I know, it's just… I have some phone calls to make and… you know… some stuff to do."

"Some stuff. I see." Babette nodded with a smile. "Well, so how's Lorelai doing?"

"Lorelai?"

"Yes. We heard that she's staying at your place. It's really sweet of you that you're taking care of her when Rory is away. Don't know what she'd do without you, sugar." She said and glanced into his paper bag. "Is this stuff for her? Aww, her favorite magazine. Look Patty, Luke bought her an Instyle magazine."

"Yeah, I just…" Luke started but Miss Patty interrupted him.

"Luke, I can't tell you how happy we are for you."

"For... who do you mean?" Luke asked hesitantly.

"You and Lorelai. We were just talking about you and that it was about time that you two get together. I mean, after all those years. This is so great." Patty looked at Babette. "Isn't it great?"

"Absolutely." Babette nodded grinning. "I mean, this Max guy was really nice and he had a very nice car but it wasn't right between them. Poor guy. He seemed so in love with her. I mean, sure he was. He wanted to marry her."

"Yeah." Was all Luke could say. He knew how close he was to lose Lorelai forever. The more relieved he was when he heard that Lorelai blew off their wedding.

"Anyway. Good luck, Luke. I can feel that this is right now."

"Yes, and tell Lorelai we hope she'll feel better soon." Miss Patty added smiling.

"I… I'll do that. Thanks." He brought out hesitantly before he walked away.

_What the hell happened back there? _

* * *

Back at the Diner, Luke made a quick call to the delivery guy before he made some blueberry pancakes for Lorelai. He put them on a tray with a cup of coffee and made his way upstairs.

"Someone ordered breakfast here?" Luke started when he entered his apartment.

Lorelai was standing in front of his fridge and turned round when he heard him. "Finally. I'm starving here."

"I'm terribly sorry." He put the tray with her breakfast on the kitchen table and motioned her to sit down to eat. What she immediately did.

After taking a deep breath, he continued. "You have no idea what happened."

"You had a nice chit chat with Miss Patty and Babette?"

Luke frowned. "How did you know?"

"I was watching you from the window. Oh, and very nice view by the way."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I told you I'd get that magazine for you."

"I know. I was just checking." She smiled and took another bite of her pancakes.

Luke took a glass and filled it with orange juice before he joined Lorelai at the table. "People know."

She swallowed down her pancake. "They know what?" She asked before she made a sip of her coffee.

"About us."

Lorelai choked. "What?"

"Yeah. Everybody knows it, though I'm not really sure what's there to know about but everybody knows it."

"But… they know _what_ exactly?"

"I don't know. That you're staying with me. That there's a thing going on between us."

"A thing?" Lorelai grinned.

"Yeah, you know what I mean."

"Sure." She thought for a moment. "But how? Nobody knows anything except…"

"Sookie." Luke finished. "You told her, right?"

"Well, there was nothing left to tell her. She had already seen us kissing at the Diner. And not even _I_ had the talent to talk us out of this one." Lorelai giggled.

"I can't believe she told the whole town."

"I'm sure she just told Jackson."

"If that would makes it any better." Luke played with his glass of orange juice.

"Then people know it. So what?" Lorelai said with a smile. "Did you plan on keeping this as a secret forever?"

"No. Of course not. It's just… now people are going to watch us. They will talk about us."

"Wow, that makes me feel so special." Lorelai grinned and Luke have her a look. "Hey look, it's not that bad. The good thing is, we don't have to hide anymore because I really don't want us to hide. I wanted people to know about us. Maybe not that soon but…" she shrugged. "We can't change it now, can we?"

"I guess not." Luke drew in a breath before his eyes settled on her.

"See." She held her fork in front of Luke. "You want a bite?"

"No, thanks."

"But you're missing something. It's delicious."

"Of course it is. I made it." Luke's lips twitched into a smile.

"Just one bite."

"Lorelai."

"Please." She held it closer to him until the fork touched his lips.

Luke rolled his eyes before he opened his mouth and Lorelai shoved the fork into his mouth.

"Delicious, huh?"

"Mhm mhm." Luke nodded with his mouth full of pancakes. When he swallowed it down, he continued. "So, did you take your temperature?"

"Yes, nothing. No fever."

"Good. That's good." Luke nodded smiling.

"Well, I had a very good nurse who took care of me."

"Really? Is that so?"

"Hmm hm." Lorelai nodded grinning and leaned forward until her lips met his in a gentle kiss. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome." He answered before he leaned in to kiss her again. Both of them taking their time to explore each others mouth.

Suddenly, Luke pulled apart and turned away. _ACHOO! ACHOO!_

* * *

**_To be continued... _**

_Reviewing would be nice. Thanks:)_

_Oh, and there's probably just one more chapter to go but I'm not sure yet. _


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks everyone for your nice reviews. You're the best:)  
Here's a new chapter. I hope you'll like it._

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_ A few days later - early afternoon_

Lorelai hurried into the kitchen of the Independence Inn, where Sookie was standing behind the stove, stiring something while she told her help Antonio what he should do next.

"Sookie?"

"Okay, continue. But not too fast. Just like I showed you. " Sookie gave him the spoon before she moved around to face Lorelai. "Hey sweetie."

"Hey. You finished?"

"With what?" Sookie gave her a look before she grinned. "Oh, with that. Sure." She moved to the counter on the other side and handed Lorelai a bowl of soup.

"Thanks. You know if I'd make it, everything would just get worse."

"And we don't want that, do we?" Sookie shook her head seriously.

"Of course not." Lorelai took a deep sigh. "You think it's really okay if I go now?"

"Sure, hon." Sookie gave her an assuring smile.

"Michel wasn't that enthusiastic when I told him about it. I know it's a bad timing because of this wedding thing tomorrow but I really, really, _really_ have to do this after everything he...".

"I know. It is no problem. Not at all. I'm here and Michel is here. Even if he's kinda pissed off but this is always funny because then he's talking in his very weird french accent and nobody is able to understand him." Sookie giggled.

"Aww, so true. And I'm going to miss that." Lorelai pouted but broke into a grin soon. "Okay, I gotta go. Call me if there's something important."

Sookie gave her a nod, her eyes squinted over to Antonio. "Hey, that's not the way I showed you to stir the sauce. You don't want to ruin it, do you?" Sookie frowned and took the wooden spoon out of his hand.

Lorelai was grinning at that before she left the kitchen. She waved an annoyed Michel goodbye before she walked out of the hotel, making her way to Luke's.

* * *

The bells above the door jingled, when Lorelai entered the Diner. She saw that Pete was busy with taking orders from the customers, so she walked behind the counter and filled herself a cup of coffee.

When Pete approached her, he was trying to hide a grin. "Well, make yourself at home."

"That goes without saying, my friend." She said grinning before she took a sip from her coffee.

"I could tell Luke about it, you know?" He continued, jokingly.

Lorelai just shrugged and grinned as she made her way over to the staircase, coffee in one hand and bowl of soup in the other.

Upstairs, she carefully opened the apartment door with her elbow. Slipping inside, she saw Luke at the table, his head resting on his arms, apparently asleep.

Sighing deeply, she walked into the kitchen to place the soup on the counter before she moved around to look at Luke.

_ What the hell was he doing when she told him to stay in bed?_

Shaking her head, she walked up behind him and bent down to whisper into his ear. "Luke, get up."

There was no answer. His breathing was steady and slow. It seemed like he was deep asleep.

Rubbing his back, she tried it again. "Hey Luke. C'mon, wake up. You should go to bed."

Luke began to stir and groaned before he slowly opened his eyes. It took him a while before he realized where he was but then he remembered. He groaned again when he lifted his head and felt a sudden pain running through his neck.

_ Geez, sleeping at the table is a bad idea. _

"What are you doing here, Luke?" Lorelai asked as she slipped down on the chair next to him.

Luke reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Uhm, sleeping I guess."

"Don't call me a freak but that's what a bed is made for, so that you can sleep in it. Very nice invention, huh?" Her eyes wandered to the mess on his kitchen table. "And what's all this?"

"Uhm, bills and stuff. I wanted to…"

"Oh my god, I don't believe this. Baby, do you remember what I told you before I left this morning?"

Luke thought for moment before his eyes settled back on her. "Uhm, that I should stay in bed?"

"Exactly. What you promised me. So what happened?"

"Well, I realized that it's the end of the month." He told her, still rubbing his neck.

"So?" She raised her eyebrows.

"I always do my financial stuff at the end of the month. And I thought it would be a good idea to start with it now that I don't have anything to do." He coughed a few times before he looked back into her eyes.

"Yes, very nice idea Luke. But you had a fever this morning. You can't just get up and walk around and do, well, calculations and stuff. This has to wait, okay?" She reached forward to his forehead to feel his temperature. "You're still burning." She looked at him in concern.

"I'm fine. Really."

Yeah, sure." She noticed his glazed and tired eyes and his flushed face. _Poor Luke_, she thought and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, get up."

Wordlessly, he let her pull him up from the chair and lead him over to the bed, where she put the covers aside and motioned him to lay back.

Hesitantly he plopped down on the edge of the bed, lifting his head to meet her eyes.

"Lay down, baby."

"Lorelai."

"You want something to eat? I brought you some soup. Don't worry, Sookie made it. The only thing I can do is boil water and open a box of cookies. And here ends the list of my cooking talents." She placed her hand on his chest and pressed him backwards on the bed.

Sighing, he gave in. "Look, you don't have to do this. I told you I'm fine."

She ignored him. "And I'll make you some tea. What flavour?"

"You have this big wedding event planned for tomorrow, right?" He paused and coughed a few times. "I really think you should go back to the Inn. I promise I'll stay in bed."

"Yeah, sure. And as soon as I close the door behind me, you're up and working on your calculations over there. No way, Mister."

"Lorelai." Luke sighed.

"Luke, stop it okay? After everything you've done for me in the last few days, you expect me to just walk away? Of course I'm staying, if you like it or not. And concerning the wedding, everything is organized so don't worry about that. There're just a few phone calls to make. And I can do this from here. From my cell phone." She told him with her hands on her hips.

"I just don't want you to feel obliged because I…"

She sat down on the side of the bed as well. "What are you talking about? I'm doing this because I want to. But somehow I get the feeling that you don't want me around."

"That's not true and you know that."

"Well, right at the moment I'm not so sure about that."

"I like to have you around."

"Yeah?" Her expression broke into a smile.

"Sure, though I'd prefer different circumstances." He paused for a moment. "But you can't have everything you want, can you?"

"Hmm…" she ran a finger along his jaw line and down his chest. "Not always".

Luke was wearing a white undershirt that showed his muscular arms and his broad chest. Slowly she ran her finger over his tattoo, drawing circles around it.

"I really think you should take one of those pills now." Lorelai started after a moment of silence. They had this conversation earlier when Luke told her he wouldn't take any of those pills. But now she was really worried about him and one pill won't kill him, right? Stubborn Luke.

"I told you, I'm not taking those damn pills." He mumbled.

"Why not?"

Sighing, he opened his eyes. "Because I never did. And I'm sure as hell won't start now."

"You _are_ going to take those pills." Lorelai nodded grinning.

"No."

"Yes, you will."

Luke frowned. "What makes you think that?"

"Because you made me take them too."

"Uh uh. _You_ wanted to take them." Luke pointed out and sighed before he finished. "And I told you, I'm feeling better. So there's no point in taking them anyway."

"Okay, you know what?" She reached for the thermometer on his nightstand. "You take your temperature while I'll make you some tea. If it's more than 102, you'll take a pill."

Luke hesitated. He could tell that his temperature might be 102 or more, because he felt tired, exhausted and his head was pounding like hell.

When Luke didn't give her an answer, she continued. "I could call a doctor too, you know?"

He whispered and fought to keep his eyes open. "I do _not_ need a doctor."

"We'll see about that." She handed Luke the thermometer. "Please."

"Okay." He mumbled in reply because he was too tired to argue with her.

"Good." She caressed his cheek before she got up and walked over to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she came back with a cup of hot tea. "Tea is ready."

She put the cup on his nightstand and looked at him. "Luke?" She whispered but she got no reaction. Carefully, she took the thermometer out of his hand and pulled the covers up and over his chest.

Nice way to back out of this Luke Danes, Lorelai thought sighing. She walked over to the couch where she sat down and took out her cell phone.

* * *

_ A few hours later _

Since Luke was sleeping almost the whole afternoon, Lorelai decided to help Pete at the Diner. When it was eight she sent him home and told him, she'd make the rest herself. She was so busy with wiping the tables that she didn't hear Luke coming downstairs, with tousled hair and sleepy eyes. He was watching her while he was leaning against the wall next to the staircase.

_ Achooo! _

Lorelai jumped and turned around, holding her hand to her heart. "Oh my god, Luke."

"I'm sorry." He replied mumbling.

"What are you doing here? Go back upstairs, I'm almost finished here." She looked at him for a moment before she continued to put the chairs on the tables.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Hmm?"

"Where's Pete. Why are you doing his work?" He asked frowning.

"Because I told him to go home earlier. There was no need for both of us to stay. And since I'm staying here anyway…" she threw a grin in his direction. "…I told him I'd close up today."

"Uh huh." Luke rubbed his tired face before his eyes settled back on her.

She put the last chair on a table and walked over to him. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted." Luke said, giving her a small smile as he slipped his arms around her waist.

"Yeah? Aw, poor baby." She looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"About what?" He asked confused.

"I didn't mean to pass this damn cold on to you."

"I know that."

"Really?" She put her hand on his cheek, feeling his burning skin.

"Sure." He closed his eyes at the feeling of her touch before he opened them again, giving her a small smile. "It would be mean if you'd do something like this on purpose."

"True." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close into a tight hug. "And this would be so not like me."

"Hmm." Luke nodded, his eyes closed.

After a few seconds she pulled apart to look at him. "Did you take your temperature? You're way too hot for my taste."

"Uhm, no."

"Fine. Then do that while I'll finish here, okay?"

Luke scowled and let out a deep sigh. "'kay."

Lorelai gave him a small kiss on his cheek before he walked back upstairs.

* * *

_Okay, I'm not quite finished here. So there's going to be another chapter :)_

_Please read and review. Thanks! _


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry it took me so long. But I was busy with college and everything. Well, okay but now I have spring break so I was able to finish this chapter. Here's it is. I hope you'll like it. Enjoy:)_

* * *

**Chapter 10 **

Lorelai was about to switch off the lights when she heard a soft knock on the Diner door. Wondering who this could be, she looked around and saw Sookie waving at her. Smiling she walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hey Sook."

"Hey. I just got home from the Inn and saw that the lights were still on."

"Yeah, I just wanted to close up." She held the door open and gestured Sookie to come in. "Uhm, I'd offer you some coffee but I just cleaned the coffee maker and besides this, Luke is waiting for me upstairs."

"Oh, he does?" Sookie wiggled with her eyebrows.

Lorelai laughed. "Not what you're thinking. He still has a cold."

"Sure. I mean, it's not like it didn't prevent you from doing 'it' when _you_ were the one with the cold."

"Doing _it_?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "We just kissed and I told you that. Nothing else happened."

"A kiss is all it takes to catch something like that. I bet there were a lot of body fluid exchanges, huh? I mean, from what I could see there was a lot of tongue and…"

"Oh god, Sookie. Please." Lorelai covered her face. She still couldn't believe Sookie caught her that day when Luke and her did... well, what they did.

"My mouth is sealed." Sookie grinned and pressed her lips together.

"Yeah, then there's something wrong with it or why is it that the whole town knows about it already?" Lorelai asked her, trying to give her a serious look but it didn't really work. Sure it was kinda annoying that the whole town knows even before something serious happened. Even before they had their first date but now she couldn't change it anyway.

"I'm _so _sorry about that but I just told Jackson. I know I shouldn't but I was all giddy about you and Luke, and I wanted to share my excitement with someone. Jackson is not the best choice and I know that, but he's the only one who's there to talk to and..."

"It's okay, Sookie." Lorelai waved it off. "It's okay."

"How is he?"

"Well, all I can tell is that it's not Luke at it's best. I mean, all those years I've known him I can't remember a time when he was sick. Ever. You?"

"Uhmm, not really."

"See. And I really thought it's not possible for Luke to get sick anyway. I mean, he's a hell of a healthy guy, isn't he? He eats all that healthy stuff and is not a junkfood person like I am."

"Yeah. I'd say you did a pretty good job then." Sookie giggled.

"Geez, thanks. That makes me feel better. It's not like I don't blame myself enough already."

"Lorelai, don't exaggerate things. He has the flu. People get that all the time. Then they take their medicine and everything's fine."

Lorelai sighed. "Yeah _if."_

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, he won't take any medicine."

"Why not?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I wanted him to take those pills he got me from the drugstore because they really helped to get that damn fever down. But he said no."

"Maybe because he thinks it's not that bad. Maybe he's already getting better." Sookie pointed out, leaning against the door.

"Every time I ask him, how he's doing, he tells me he's fine but he doesn't look fine. He has these glazed and bloodshot eyes and a flushed face and... he's coughing all the time. It sounds really bad." she let out a desperate sigh.

"Is the fever high?"

"I can't say because he won't take his temperature either."

"Well, Luke is known for his stubbornness."

"I actually threatened him with calling a doctor." Lorelai said, her fingers playing with a strand of hair.

"You did? Let me guess, I bet he wasn't thrilled was he?"

"Not exactly."

"Hmmm." Sookie thought for a moment. "What if he takes his medicine without knowing it."

"What?" Lorelai frowned and sat down on one the chairs, looking at her friend.

"Put the medicine into his tea so that he won't know it." Sookie suggested.

"This might work." Lorelai mused. "Yeah, maybe I'll do that."

"Of course it will work. My mother did this to me when I was a child." Sookie grinned. "Okay hon', I gotta go. Jackson is cooking dinner tonight and I want to lurk into the kitchen and might improve some things. Not that he isn't a good cook but... you know."

"I got it." Lorelai laughed. "Have fun, Sookie. I have to go check on Luke anyway."

"Yeah." Sookie grinned. "Tell him I said hello."

"I'll do that. Bye." Lorelai locked the Diner door after Sookie hurried outside.

* * *

Lorelai entered the apartment and heard some noises coming out from the bathroom. When she saw that the door was just left ajar, she opened it slowly. Luke was standing at the sink, rummaging through the cupboard next to the big mirror.

"Hey. What are you looking for?" Lorelai asked but stopped when she saw Luke's hand. She immediately turned away and covered her eyes. "Oh my god."

"I'm fine. I just need..."

She took a deep breath and forced to look back at him. "Fine? Luke, you're bleeding. And it looks far from fine."

"It's not that bad."

"Look what you're doing." She pointed to the floor. "There are blood drops all over here." She grabbed his arm and pulled it over the sink.

"Damn." Luke muttered.

"How did this happen?" She started to rummage through the cupboard herself.

"I think I'm out of band-aids."

"Baby, band-aids won't do it. Look at you, we need to bandage your hand. Do you have bandages or something, Luke?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe."

"Maybe?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Luke please, I'm trying to help you here."

"Yeah, just a second. Everything's spinning around right now." He closed his eyes and propped his hands on the sink.

"Hey hey, I don't need you to collapse here."

"I won't."

Lorelai grabbed a small towel and wrapped it around his hand. "Okay, this will do it. For now." He grabbed his arm and led him out of the bathroom, over to his bed where he sat down and looked at his hand.

"Okay Luke. Just sit here, I'm going to look for something to bandage your hand _properly_." She told him and turned on her heels to walk back into the bathroom.

"Downstairs."

Lorelai glanced over her shoulder. "Huh?"

"I have a first aid kit downstairs in the Diner kitchen." He told her matter of factly.

"Oh, okay. I'll go and get it." She hurried to the door but stopped and added. "Just stay where you are, okay?"

Luke just groaned and watched her leaving his apartment.

A few minutes later, she came back. With the first aid kit. She joined Luke on the bed and carefully unwrapped his hand, looking at the deep cut on his palm. "Oh my, I hope I won't faint."

"I'm the one who's bleeding." Luke told her calmly.

She took a deep breath. "Yeah, I can see that." She cleaned his hand with the towel before she took out the mull and started to bandage his hand. "Okay, now tell me how did this happen?"

"Uh, I dropped a glass." He said, hesitantly. God, he knew how stupid this may sound.

"You dropped a glass." Lorelai repeated, still fidgeting with the mulls. "And?"

"As it happens, it shattered. I wanted to pick up the pieces from the floor, when everything went black and I..." he stopped and shook his head. "This is embarrassing."

"Okaaaay. Then let's say it was just you being a klutz?"

"This might describes it, yes."

She now looked up at him, giving him a small smile. "Finished."

Luke examined his hand. "Thanks."

"Sooo, did you take your temperature before all this happened?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh okay. And?"

"Not that bad. Actually." Luke told her, still looking at his hand.

"Define _not that bad_."

"101... or something." He cleared his throat.

"Or something?" She studied him suspiciously and waited until Luke lifted his head to look at her. "You mean something like 101.2?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Maybe a little more."

"More? More like 101.8 or 102?" She looked at him. "It's more than 102, isn't it?"

Luke didn't say anything.

"I just don't get it why you won't take some medicine."

"Do you know what those pills do to you?"

"Yes, they help you to feel better. Don't you want to feel better, Luke?" She asked softly.

"That's not the point."

"Oh yes, I think it is." Lorelai told him matter of factly but decided to let it go. She just needed to do what was inevitable. If he'd like it or not. "Okay, you want something to drink?"

"Uh, yes. Orange juice would be good."

"Then orange juice it is." She smiled and got up when she heard her cell phone ringing. Looking around for her purse, she found it on the kitchen table. Walking over, she took her phone out and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hey mom."

"Oh hey, Rory. How are things in Washington?"

"Things are good. And in Stars Hollow?" She grinned.

"The same."

"Uh huh. Where are you right now? I called at home but I just got the damn answering machine."

"At Luke's."

"Yeah? Tell Luke I said hello."

Lorelai turned to Luke. "It's Rory. She said hallo."

"Hallo back." Luke gave her a small smile and crawled under the covers.

"Hallo back from Luke." Lorelai told her daughter and made her way to the bathroom to look for the pills she knew Luke put into the cupboard. When she found them, she took one out and walked back into the kitchen. With one glance she made sure that Luke didn't take any attention at what she was doing and grabbed a knife out of the kitched drawer.

"How is he, by the way?"

"Well, still not back to his old self."

"Aww, poor Luke. But I _sooo _knew that this would happen. Good job, mom."

"Oh, not again." Lorelai sighed. "Sookie already lectured me, so please cut it."

"Sorry." Rory grinned.

"So, when are you coming home?"

"Monday. Around noon I guess."

"Damn." Lorelai muttered when she tried to mash that stupid pill.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. Carry on." Lorelai said and put the cell phone between her ear and shoulder so that both of her hands were free.

"What are you doing?"

"I..." Lorelai glanced at Luke before she turned her back at him again. "Nothing. So, monday huh? It's about time."

"Yeah, I know. I miss you."

"Miss you too, hon." She filled a glass with orange juice and threw in the powder of the pill.

"Okay, I gotta go now, Mom."

"Well, okay. Bye hon." She smiled and placed the cell phone on the counter before she grabbed the juice and walked over to Luke. "Here."

Luke sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Thanks." He took it and made a few sips. "Is Rory okay?"

"Yes. She's coming back on Monday."

"Good."

"Yeah." Lorelai looked at him for a moment. "Something else I can do for you?"

"No. I'm good."

Lorelai sat down on the side of his bed. "Okay."

He emptied the glass and set it on the nightstand before he looked back at Lorelai. "This was so much better than any medicine. Believe me."

"Yeah?" She smiled nervously.

"Yes. Thanks. For everything."

"You're welcome." She replied and shifted closer to pull him into a hug. "You're very welcome."

* * *

_Okay, actually this would have been my last chapter. But since many of you wanted me to write more, I decided to continue. I mean, maybe you wanna know what will happen when Luke is better and everything's back to normal, huh:) So, I there's definitely going to be more. _

_Please read and review. Thanks:) _


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks again for your nice reviews. They mean so much to me. Hehe:) I was away for a few days, so I had the time to write the new chapter. So, here it is. Enjoy._

* * *

**Chapter 11**

A few days have passed since everything was back to normal. Lorelai began to sleep at home since Luke was already feeling better, thanks to her special orange juice she got him three times a day, and because Rory was back home from Washington .

Caused by the amount of work both had, they couldn't really find the time to talk about what happened between them the week before. Lorelai didn't even find the time to come to the Diner that often because of the paperwork piling on her desk at the Inn. What she regretted because she really wanted to know where they were standing. And so did Luke, of course.

It was Wednesday morning when Lorelai decided that the Inn coffee wouldn't do it for today, so she made a quick stop at Luke's. The Diner was crowded, like every morning, so she sat down on the only free stool at the counter, next to Kirk.

"Hey Kirk." Lorelai said, looking at him.

"Hi Lorelai." Kirk replied with his mouth full of pancakes. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Totally. Just eat your breakfast Kirk." She told him before she turned to Luke who was on the phone, apparently talking to one of his delivery guys.

She bent forward a little to get Luke's attention, but he was busy with scribbling something on a sheet of paper. That was when she noticed that his left hand was still bandaged. Poor Luke.

"Hey." She whispered.

Finally, Luke lifted his head and his expression softened for a second when he saw her. He formed a brief 'hey' with his lips before he concentrated back on his heating phone conversation about who's fault it was that he didn't get what he had ordered the previous day.

"Coffee." Lorelai whispered impatiently but Luke lifted his finger, telling her to wait just a few seconds. After two minutes and still no coffee, she slipped off her stool and made her way behind the counter to get some coffee herself.

Luke noticed her intention and her puzzled expression when she wasn't sure which of the three pots was the one with her beloved coffee. "Blue." Luke helped her and handed her a big 'to go cup'.

Smiling, she took it and filled it with coffee before she walked on the other side to grab a Danish as well. It was Danish day after all. Then she snatched a napkin, wrote something on it and left it on the counter for Luke. Grabbing her coffee and Danish, she rubbed his back in a soothingly gesture before she walked to the door where she looked back at him, giving him a small wave.

When Luke noticed that she was already leaving, it was too late. _Damn_, he thought. They didn't get the chance to talk. Again. Then he perceived the note on the counter. '_Call me later'_, it said which made him smile. He'd definitely call, that's for sure.

* * *

_ Independence Inn - Afternoon _

Lorelai was in the kitchen with Sookie, talking about the menu of the DPA meeting for the next day. Sookie already changed her mind the fourth time, so Lorelai wanted to make sure to which menue she finally decided to stick.

"Tell me something about you and Luke." Sookie suddenly started while she was stirring her caramel sauce.

"There's nothing to tell." Lorelai told her and grabbed a strawberry, which immediately find its way into her mouth.

"Oh, c'mon. That's not true."

"Uuuh. Yes, it is."

"But where are you standing? What's with the kissing and everything."

"Sookie, we haven't talked about it yet." Lorelai told her with a sigh and snatched another strawberry.

"You haven't? Why not?"

"Well, we didn't have the chance yet. I was busy at the Inn and Luke with his Diner. We barely talked."

"Oh." Sookie answered sadly. "But you will, right? Or do you want to forget that it happened?" She looked up to study her friend.

Lorelai answered hesitantly. "Uhm, no."

"Good." Sookie grinned. "You and Luke, this would be _so_ great."

_ Yes it would be, indeed_ . Lorelai thought and looked down on her feet, grinning.

Suddenly the kitchen door opened and Michel came in with the phone in his hand, holding it out to Lorelai. "Telephone."

"Who is it?"

"This unfriendly guy who's name must have slipped my mind." Michel told her annoying. "I don't even know why I get you the phone every time someone calls. I'm not your servant."

"No?" Lorelai asked grinning which got her just another annoyed glance from Michel, so she continued. "What guy?"

"This unfriendly and unshaved one, from this rustic Diner you love so much."

"Oh, Luke?" Lorelai's face lit up and she snatched the phone. "And what are you talking about? He's not unfriendly."

"Maybe not to you."

Lorelai shrugged while she walked a little further away from Michel and Sookie. "Hey."

"Hey. Is it a bad time?" Luke asked, standing behind the counter of an empty Diner.

"No, not at all." She smiled. "I'm glad you called."

"I just followed your message." Luke leaned against the counter, playing with the telephone cord.

"Good." Lorelai took a glance at Sookie and Michel who were still watching her. She motioned them to go back to work before she turned her back to them again. "How's the Diner?"

"Well, still standing. Don't worry."

Lorelai giggled. "I know that but thanks for the head ups, Mister."

"You know, afternoon lull. I just sent Cesar home."

"Ah, so you're bored?"

"Kind of." Luke let out a small laugh.

Both of them were silent for a few seconds before Luke spoke again. "So uhm..."

"So?" Lorelai asked, raising both of her eyebrows.

"Well, I was wondering... uhm, if you... well, wanna do something... with me... tonight?"

Lorelai smiled widely. "Tonight?"

"Yeah. Or if it's too soon then maybe in a few days. This weekend or perhaps next week? I mean, I was just thinking uhm... you know and it was just a suggestion, so it'd be no problem when..." Luke started to ramble which he always did when he was nervous.

"Tonight would be great, Luke."

He felt relieve washing over him. "Yeah?"

"Yes. So, what do you wanna do?"

"I thought about going to see a movie. What do you think?"

"I'd love that but since when are you a movie guy? Haven't seen this side of you before."

"Well, you don't know everything about me." Luke chuckled. _Not yet. _

"Seems so." Lorelai smiled. "Okay, movie sounds great. I heard that they're showing some old black and white movies again."

"Yeah, what do you say if I'll pick you up at eight?"

"Or I could come to the Diner. It would be closer to the theater."

"Well, okay. Let's meet at the Diner."

"Good. Good." She was biting her lower lip before she asked carefully. "So, it's a date?"

"Well, some people would consider it as a date."

"Some people?"

"Maybe we too. I mean, I would…"

"Okay, just checking." Lorelai grinned. "See you tonight Luke."

"Yeah. Bye."

They ended the call, both with wide smiles plastered on their faces and just one word circled in their mind - _finally_.

"What was that?" Sookie started after she ended the conversation.

Lorelai moved around, smiling. "I'm having a date."

"With Luke?" Sookie grinned.

"With Kirk. No, of course with Luke."

"Yay. Finally." Sookie clasped her hands in excitement. "Isn't this great, Michel?"

"Totally. Can't you see the happy dance I'm making here?" Michel rolled his eyes and left the kitchen.

Lorelai watched him walking away, a small frown on her face. "_Gaaah_. Does he always have to be like this?"

"Apparently. Okay, so you and Luke, huh?"

"Yes." Lorelai walked backwards out of the kitchen.

"I want to hear _every _detail tomorrow. Okay?"

Lorelai didn't say anything. She just grinned, pushed the door open and left.

"Lorelai?" Sookie called after her but Lorelai was already gone. _This is going to be good_, she thought and turned back to her sauce.

* * *

It was a few minutes before eight when Lorelai arrived at Luke's. She adjusted her hair and put on some lip-gloss before she opened the door of the Diner. At the same moment, Luke came down the stairs and slipped into his black leather jacket.

"Hey." Lorelai said as she closed the door behind her.

"Hi. I was just..."

"Yeah, I thought uhm, we..."

Both smiled at each other.

After a few moments, Lorelai broke the silence. "You ready?"

"Yes." He smiled and took in her sight. She looked beautiful. Not that she didn't look beautiful all the time but it was different today. Maybe because of the fact that she was _his _date and that she dressed up just for him.

Lorelai noticed how he was looking at her and felt that she was blushing slightly. "Well, let's go then."

"Okay. Let's go."

Luke closed up the Diner before they made their way to the small movie theater of Stars Hollow. He told Lorelai to go inside while he was exchanging a few words with Kirk. A few minutes later, he walked inside as well, bringing popcorn and a big coke with him. He found Lorelai sitting on a big sofa where he joined her.

"Popcorn." Lorelai piped up and took the bag of popcorn, Luke handed her.

"What is a movie without popcorn?" He showed her the coke as well. "And coke."

"True." She returned his smile and settled back on the sofa, waiting for the movie to start. "You know what?"

"What?"

"Look around. We're alone here. Well, at least until now. I hope it stays like that."

"It will." Luke said and slipped out of his jacket.

Lorelai turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?" She studied him for a moment longer. "How do you know?"

Luke's eyes met hers. "Well..."

She gasped. "Luke Danes. You bribed Kirk, didn't you?"

"Kind of."

Lorelai grinned. "With what?"

"Free breakfast at my Diner. For a week."

"Aww."

"Yeah, but I thought it'd be worth it."

"Sure it is." She smiled and slipped out of her coat as well. "So, we're all alone in here?"

"Yes."

"Kirk will not watch the movie with us?"

"Christ. Definitely not." Luke let out a small laugh.

"Good. Good."

"Why?"

"Just asking." Lorelai smiled while she watched him from the side. He looked good, she thought, with his black trousers and gray shirt. Nothing against his cotton flannel style but this was nice too. Very nice.

From the corner of his eyes, Luke noticed that Lorelai was watching him and this made him a little nervous. He took in a deep breath and slowly turned his head, causing her to look away very quickly. He grinned at that.

_ Oh god, what am I doing? We're not in high school anymore, aren't we? _ Lorelai thought, staring at the screen on front of them.

She cleared her throat. "So, which movie are we going to watch?"

"Casablanca. I hope that's okay."

"Seriously?" She smiled. "One of the best movies _ever_. I've watched it like... thousand times."

"Oh, I should have chosen another movie then. I'm sorry. Maybe if I ask Kirk, he could..."

"No no. It's a classic. You can't watch a classic too many times."

"Really? I mean, it wouldn't be a problem. Kirk has some other movies too."

"No. Really. I want to watch this one." Lorelai assured him with a smile.

"Okay, good."

"Luke?"

"Yes?"

"I've never seen you as a Casablanca type of guy." She leaned a little closer and whispered. "Softie."

Luke laughed. "I'm _not _a softie."

"Oh, I think you are."

"I thought I was doing you a favour with choosing this instead of an action movie."

"Very considerate of you. Action movies can be nice to watch though it depends on the leading role, you know?" Lorelai grinned. "No, just kidding. Thanks for choosing this one."

"Yeah, I've never watched it before, so I thought it'd be about time."

"Oh my god, you've never seen Casablanca ?"

"Nope."

"How's that possible?"

"I don't know."

"Then it really _is_ about time."

He smiled at that and both turned their heads at the screen when the movie started.

They were watching the movie with Lorelai commenting every now and then about what she loved or hated about a scene. She even started to speak the dialogues along with them because she watched this movie so many times, she already knew them by heart.

But Luke didn't care. He didn't even pay that much attention to the movie. More to Lorelai. He watched her when she excitedly talked about the couple on screen or criticized some dialogues. And he loved it. He loved being with her and seeing that she enjoyed their evening as much as he did.

Every now and then, they grasped into the bag of popcorn at the same time, so that their hands were touching slightly. They felt a spark of electricity when they touched, so they quickly pulled away, giving each other a nervous smile.

When the bag of popcorn was empty, Lorelai set it aside and shifted a little closer to Luke. She smiled and rested her cheek on the side of Luke's upper arm, searching for closeness. Luke understood her gesture, lifted his arm and pulled her closer so that her head was resting in the hollow of his shoulder. Smiling, she snuggled closer to him, running her fingers absentmindedly over his thigh while they continued watching the movie.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Please read & review:) **


	12. Chapter 12

_Thanks again for your reviews. I know, I repeat myself but I'm so happy for every single review. It always motivates me to write more. Hehe. So and because I had some free time, I was able to finish the next chapter. Fast, huh? Yes, I'm proud of myself. :-P  
I hope you'll like it. Enjoy:)_

* * *

**Chapter 12 **

When the movie was over, they sat like this for a few more minutes before Lorelai spoke. "And, did you like it?"

"Yes, it was... nice."

"Didn't fall asleep?"

Luke laughed. "Nah, of course not."

"I wasn't so sure about it. Casablanca is not a typical 'guy movie'." She emphasized it with her fingers.

"So?"

"Well, I figured maybe you wouldn't make it."

"But I did." Luke smiled. "Or do you think I'd fall asleep on our first date?"

"Nah. You better not, Mister."

"See."

"Date." She snuggled closer to Luke again. "I like that. It has a nice ring."

"Haven't used this word before?" Luke asked jokingly.

"Haha." She punched him playfully on his arm. "Of course but I've never used 'date' _and_ our two names in the same sentence."

"Well, there's a first time for everything." He gave her a wink and added whispering. "And I like the ring of that, too."

"Good to know." She looked at him, smiling.

"Okay. So, what do you wanna do know? Want some coffee?"

"Coffee would be great." She sat up straight, grinning from ear to ear. "You really know the way to a woman's heart."

"Only to yours." He said flirtously and reached for her hand. "Let's go."

They left and headed to Luke's for a cup of coffee. But because it was a warm night, they decided to take a walk.

They strolled through the town, talking about everything. Lorelai told him about her day at the Inn and the fight she had with Michel. And Luke told her about the misunderstanding with his delivery guy and why Taylor did annoy him again. There didn't have to be a reason actually. Just the pure presence of him was enough to make him furious. God knows why.

By the time they reached Lorelai's house it was after eleven o'clock. Luke walked her up the front steps where Lorelai started to look for her keys.

"I had a good time."

Looking up, Lorelai's lips formed a smile. "Me too. And thanks for bribing Kirk."

"Anytime." He grinned.

They looked at each other for a moment before Lorelai spoke again. "We should do this again. Some time. I mean, if you want to."

"I'd definitely want to." Luke gave her a smile. "Cesar has his free day tomorrow, so I'm alone at the Diner. But maybe the day after?"

"Yes, I'd like that." Lorelai nodded and Luke smiled at that, clearly relieved. But suddenly she added. "Oh nooo. I can't."

"Oh."

"It's Friday. And Friday means dinner with my parents." She sighed and muttered. "Damn contract."

"It's okay."

"I don't want to go, but I have to." She looked down on her feet and let out a sigh.

"Maybe Saturday then?"

"If I'll survive Friday, then yes." Her face brightened again.

"Okay. Good, then I'll cross my fingers." He grinned and looked down on the floor.

The situation between them was weird somehow. Both knew what they talked about the week before but they weren't sure if the other one could still remember or meant what they said after everything what happened. They knew that they had to talk about it. The sooner, the better.

"Luke."

"Lorelai."

Both started at the same time and laughed.

"You first." Lorelai said and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Okay uhm, maybe we can sit down for this or something?"

"Sure." They walked to the bench on Lorelai's porch and sat down. "So?"

Luke stared at his hands for a minute before he spoke. "Okay, I just wanted to ask you something." He lifted his head to meet her eyes.

"_Okaaay_." She said slowly. "And this would be?"

"About us. Our situation."

"I wanted to talk about that too."

"I'm not sure if... uh, do you remember when we talked last week? In my apartment?"

"We talked a lot. So what do you mean _exactly_?" She asked curiously.

Luke swallowed. "You told me that you... and I... that you have some kind of... you know... fe..." He looked into her eyes and rubbed his damp hands over his pants. But his heart sank when he didn't get any reaction from her at all, so his eyes fell down on his feet again. He whispered. "You don't remember anymore."

"Luke."

"It's okay. You were running a fever, so maybe you didn't even mean what you said." Luke stood up. "It's okay."

"I didn't say that." Lorelai grabbed his arm.

"Didn't say _what_?"

"That I do not remember. Because I do." She pulled him down on the bench again.

"You do?"

"Of course I do." She grinned. "And I wanted to tell you that... that I did mean what I've said."

"You..." His lips twitched into a smile. "You did?"

"Yeah, I did. I _do_, actually." Lorelai nodded. "I know the last week was kind of..." She fumbled for the right word. "...unexpected. First _I_ had that damn cold and... then _you_, which I'm _really _sorry for. You have to believe me."

"It's okay."

"Matter of opinion." She shook her head. "And then when we were both fine again, and with Rory coming back and the big amount of work we both had this week... I wasn't sure if we're still on... I mean, if you're still interested."

"God Lorelai, what a question."

"So is that a yes?" She asked carefully.

"Of course it is. I'm very _very _interested."

"Okay, it was a yes then." She smiled and took in a deep breath while she gently took his hands. "Glad to know, because I really missed you in the last few days."

"I missed you too."

They stared at each other for a few minutes, both clearly feeling the electricity between between them.

Lorelai whispered. "Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me already."

Luke looked down and grinned. He reached up and traced his finger along her jaw line, his eyes never leaving hers. He slowly moved closer until their lips were just inches apart and both of them could feel the breath of the other. Luke smiled and slid his hand behind her neck before he tilted his head to the side and met her lips in a gentle kiss. Immediately, Lorelai put a hand on Luke's cheek to deepen the kiss. What started as gentle first, became more passionate, more demanding with every second.

Soft moans escaped Lorelai's lips when their tongues met and Luke feathered his long fingers through her curly hair.

Pulling apart and panting heavily, Lorelai whispered. "This is crazy."

"What is?" Luke asked, cleary out of breath himself.

"How much I've missed that." She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him close. "You're a good kisser, Luke Danes."

"Yeah? You're not so bad either, Lorelai Gilmore." His lips skimmed over her jaw while Lorelai closed her eyes and let him do those magic things to her, enjoying Luke's mouth on her causing goosebumps all over her body.

Grinning, Lorelai replied. "It's even better than I remember."

Luke pulled back slightly and looked at her grinning. "Yeah, because your head isn't clouded with medications anymore."

"That must be it."

Luke sighed as their lips met again into a long wet lingering kiss that went from gentle to urgent. Both of them enjoying to explore each others mouth, while hands wandered and breathing became more rigid.

Suddenly the backdoor opened and Rory came out. "Mom?" Her eyes grew wide when she saw them. "Oh."

Lorelai and Luke jumped apart, feeling slightly embarrassed at being caught like this.

"I'm sorry. I just saw the lights on and thought..." She looked at them and noticed Luke shifting around uncomfortably.

"We were just..." Lorelai stammered, gesturing with her hands.

"I could see."

"No, I mean we..."

"Sorry for interrupting."

"I gotta go anyway." Luke lifted himself up from the bench, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down on the floor to avoid Rory's gaze.

"No, I'll go back inside." Rory grinned and disappeared through the door.

"Oh god." Luke breathed out. "I should go."

Lorelai got up too. "Sorry, I didn't think that Rory might still be up."

"It's late and I have to go anyway."

"Yeah, probably."

"Do I see you tomorrow?"

"I need my coffee fix, don't I?"

Luke's lips twitched into a small smile. "Yes. I heard about that."

"And since you have the best coffee in town, chances are good that I'll stop by."

"Lucky me."

"I can't say who of us is luckier." Lorelai grinned and pulled him closer at the collar of his shirt.

"Neither do I." He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss goodnight. "Bye."

"Bye." She whispered and watched him walk away before she walked inside.

* * *

Lorelai closed the door behind her and leaned against it, her fingers trailing over her lips.

When Rory heard the door, she came out of her room and saw her mother standing at the door. "You okay?"

Lorelai startled and looked at her. "What? Ya, I'm okay." She grinned and walked past her into the kitchen.

Rory followed her. "So, how was your date with Luke?"

"Good. Awesome. _Perfect_." Lorelai grinned and took some cookies out of the kitchen cupboard before she sat down and started to nibble on one.

"You went to see a movie. Right?" Rory asked curiously and joined her mother on the kitchen table, snatching a cookie herself.

"Yeah."

"And? Come on. Tell me something here."

"He chose Casablanca ." Lorelai sighed dreamily.

"He chose? Wait, I thought you went _out _to see a movie?"

"We did. But he bribed Kirk so that we had the movie theater for ourselves. And Luke chose what we were going to watch."

"He bribed Kirk? Wow." Rory grinned. "And he chose Casablanca. How cute."

"Oh yeah. It is." Lorelai smiled. "And can you believe it, he never saw Casablanca before."

"No." Rory gasped. "Are you serious?"

"I couldn't believe it either." Lorelai shook her head and snagged another cookie.

"But you had fun."

"Yes, definitely. Then he asked me if I wanna have some coffee. So we went to the Diner, he made me a cup and then we walked through the town. We talked, we laughed... it was _really_ nice."

"Wait. He asked if you wanna have some coffee?"

"Yep."

"Wow." Rory answered. "He really wanted to impress you on your first date with giving you coffee _without _ranting about how unhealthy it is."

Lorelai propped her chin on her hand and grinned. "Yes. He really did impress me."

"Oh, something tells me that you're now talking about the last part where I waltzed in, right?" Rory winced.

"Maybe." Lorelai looked down, chewing on her lower lip.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"I know, hon'. Did you see how embarrassed Luke was?" Lorelai grinned.

"Yes. I never saw Luke blushing before."

"Well, I did." Lorelai was grinning again. She cleared her throat and continued. "Anyway. We'll repeat this on Saturday."

"Aw. Another date?" Rory smiled at her mother.

"Yep. He wanted to do something tomorrow but I told him I can't because of Friday night dinner, so we moved it forward to Saturday."

"Any plans yet?"

"No. We still have time to think about something."

"When you go out with Luke on Saturday, maybe I can sleep at Lane's. Having a girly night and everything. And since I don't have anything to study, I don't wanna sit at home all alone."

"Sure. You can do that." Lorelai nodded smiling and patted her daughter's arm.

Rory looked at her mother. "You look happy."

"I am." Lorelai stood up smiling and walked out of the kitchen. "I really am."

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Please read & review:)**

_So, I hope you liked it. I'm off to Italy for the weekend before college starts again. I can't wait. I Hope I'll find some time to write a little bit there! Hehe :) Bye bye! _


	13. Chapter 13

_I'm baaaaaaack and Italy was great, i loved it. :) Venice is such an amazing city. And we really had fun though the weather wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. Well, at least it was sunny all the time._

_Thanks everyone for your lovely reviews. You guys totally rock! Hehe!_

_LLmeantb: No, I'm not from the states. I'm from Austria.  
Sonni: You're hilarious. Thanks a bunch. huggles  
Melanie: Aw, you'll love Italy. It's beautiful with it's beaches and their whole culture. The people are so very nice and the food.. yummy:D _

_Anyway, here's the new Chapter. I hope you like it._

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Like every Friday, Lorelai and Rory were in Hartfort, having Dinner with Richard and Emily when suddenly Rory's peeper went off.

"What is this?" Emily looked up from her meal, frowning.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" She read the message Dean sent her and stood up.

"Where are you going? Lorelai, where is she going?"

"Is he already there?" Lorelai asked her daughter, ignoring her mother's words.

Rory nodded and grabbed her purse. She walked to each of her grandparents to give them a kiss on their cheek. "Grandma, Grandpa… Dinner was delicious but I gotta go now. Mom, I won't be home too late. Bye." She gave her mother a small wave before she hurried outside, leaving Lorelai alone with her parents.

"Yeah, have fun." Lorelai called after her before she turned back to the table. "Could you pass me the potatoes, please?"

Emily put her fork down. "What was all this about? Where did Rory go?"

"I told you before. Rory and Dean have their one year anniversary today, so they're going out." She still waited for Emily to give her the bowl with potatoes.

"That's why you've allowed her to leave the table like that? I certainly do not accept that. She's supposed to be here on Friday night. We agreed on that, remember?"

Sighing, Lorelai settled back on her chair. "It's just this one time, Mom. So don't exaggerate things here."

"Exaggerate things? I won't allow to speak to me like that, Lorelai Gilmore. This is definitely an inappropriate behaviour"

"Mom, please."

"I wait all week to have Dinner with both of you. I wouldn't see you for years if we didn't have that agreement that you have Dinner with us once a week."

"It's their one-year-anniversary…" Lorelai started to explain but Emily cut her off.

"Yes and next time it's their 15 month anniversary or the two-year…"

"Mom. Calm down."

"I always knew that this would happen one day."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"That Rory becomes like you. Oh god, please not." Emily sighed and rubbed her temples.

Lorelai opened her mouth to say something but decided not to. Instead she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"I think this is not the time." Richard spoke for the first time.

"Of course it is." Emily looked at her husband. "Your daughter allows Rory to go out with some guy and god knows what's going to happen."

"Dean is not _some guy_. He's Rory boyfriend. And what do you mean? What do you think will happen? He'll take her out for Dinner, maybe they'll go to see a movie. Just having a good time, that's what kids have, you know?"

"A good time." Emily echoed, half laughing. "What if she gets pregnant, Lorelai? Did you ever think about that?"

"Oh please. This is not going to happen."

"How do you know? I always thought it won't happened to you but it did. And it ruined everything. _Everything_."

"But Rory is not like me." Lorelai protested, her voice already getting louder.

"Maybe not now. But she's already on a good way."

"This is _so_ not true."

"You set a very nice example for her, didn't you? Getting pregnant with sixteen, leaving school, moving out with no money. You didn't even have a job and absolutely nothing to offer your daughter, a baby. You preferred to live in a lousy shed than at home at your parents house. And besides all this, you're not even married by now. You're not getting younger, you know? You're already over thirty, so how long do you want to stay single. I always told you to marry Christopher when he proposed but you wouldn't listen. And then I have to listen to all my girlfriends, asking me about my daughter, what she's doing and if she's married by now. But I can't tell them anything. And all I can think is, why is my daughter incapable of getting her life together and start to build a family? Shouldn't be so difficult, don't you think? So I ask you, Lorelai. What did I do wrong with you? _What_?"

"Emily." Richard said, trying to calm down his wife.

Lorelai felt tears welling up in her eyes but she fought to hold them back. She certainly won't cry in front of her mother and she definitely won't show her that these words felt like a direct stab into her heart. Instead, she stood up and threw her napkin on the table.

"Where do you think you're going?" Emily asked, raising both of her eyebrows.

"Home."

"Lorelai Gilmore. We're in the middle of a conversation."

She stopped and turned around to look at her mother. "A conversation?" She shook her head, laughing at what her mother just said. "You're calling this a conversation? Very funny. All you did was insulting me, over and over again. And I'm sick of all this. I just don't wanna hear it anymore." Lorelai gave her mother a long look.

"Lorelai, don't raise your voice to your mother like that." Richard threw in, looking between his daughter and Emily.

Lorelai was still looking at her mother. "I know that I never was and never will be the daughter you always wanted, but could you… could you _please_ respect me and the decisions I've made?"

"No because all I..."

"Okay, I'm done." Lorelai grabbed her purse and walked out of the Dining room, don't listening to her mother who told her to come back to the table. Ignoring her, she reached for her coat and rushed outside where she climbed into the car and started the engine to drive back to Stars Hollow.

* * *

It was after 9pm when Luke switched off the lights of the Diner and walked to the door to turn the sign to 'closed'. That was when he noticed Lorelai's jeep parking right outside. Frowning, he opened the door to walk over to her car where he knocked slightly on her window.

Lorelai was brought back to reality and started to wipe the tears off her face before she turned to open the window, but avoiding to look into Luke's eyes.

"Hey." Luke whispered.

"Hey." Lorelai said with a broken voice.

Luke noticed that something wasn't right and reached forward to turn her face to look at him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah... I... I'm good." Lorelai nodded eagerly, turning her face away from him again.

_ Okay, something wasn't right_ . Luke thought when he saw her tear stained face. He whispered again. "Lorelai, speak to me."

New tears were welling up in her eyes and found their way down her cheeks. "I..." She stopped and covered her face with her hands.

Luke slowly opened the door of her car and took her hand to pull her out and into his arms, holding her tightly. She slipped her arms around his waist and started to sob against his shoulder. Luke didn't say anything for a few minutes, but just holding her and soothingly rubbing her back.

Lorelai didn't say anything. She just held on to Luke as tightly as she could.

"Come inside." He whispered against her ear and led her away from her car to his Diner.

When he closed the door behind them, Lorelai looked up and noticed that all the lights were already out. "You already closed up."

"But not for you. C'mon, let's go upstairs. I'll make you some coffee."

"Maybe it's better if I'll go." She wriggled out of Luke's embrace and turned to leave but Luke took hold of her arm.

"Don't be silly, Lorelai." He gave her a little squeeze and led her upstairs into his apartment where she sat down on the sofa. Luke made some coffee before he joined her.

He looked at her for a moment and waited for her to say something. But she didn't. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"Nothing happened." Lorelai snatched a handkerchief from the box Luke was handing her.

"Yeah, I can see that." He lifted his hand and brushed his thump over her damp cheek. "Is it about Rory?" He finally asked, fearing about her answer but she was shaking her head.

"No, Rory is okay."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, then what happened?"

"It's not important." She whispered and looked down on her feet.

"Of course. Of course it is important when it shakes you up like that." He paused for a moment. "Tell me. Please."

"I... I just had a fight with my mother." Lorelai took a deep breath.

"Okay." He gave her a sympathetic look and waited for her to go on.

"It was a hell of a fight actually."

"That's what I figured." Luke took her hand in his. "About what?"

Looking at him, she just shrugged. "Everything and nothing." She stayed silent for a few seconds before she continued. "First, we were talking about Rory. She had to leave earlier because of her one-year-anniversary with Dean. I told you about it this morning, remember? And she asked me if she can go out to celebrate and I said it's okay as long as she's at the Friday night Dinner and won't skip it completely."

"Sure."

"But my mother was all upset then. And suddenly it was all about me and what a bad example I am for my Rory. My mother told me that she'll do everything that Rory won't become like me. She won't allow her to throw away her life like I did and... and... I just sat there and had to listen how my mother talked about what a bad person I am. How I screwed everything up by getting pregnant with sixteen. It was a mistake that I didn't finish high school because my parents always had those big plans for me that I should go to Yale one day and become... I don't know, a person with an important job. Not with a job like I have _now_. And... and, that I'm still not married. And... yeah. Basically, my mother told me over and over again, that everything I did was one big mistake… and... and..." She stopped and felt new tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey. Come here." Luke pulled her to him again, hugging her tightly.

Lorelai rested her face between his shoulder and neck, inhaling the scent that was Luke. Her Luke. She glided her hands up his chest, slipping her arms around his neck to hold him close.

"I can't believe she said all this." Luke said gently, still rubbing her back.

"Neither do I." She sighed and reluctantly pulled back to look at Luke, her arms still around his neck.

"Maybe she had a bad day."

"Make it a bad year, then you could be right."

Luke wiped the tears off her face. "I'm sorry."

"No, _I'm_ sorry."

"For what?"

"For this… this… break down here in front of you."

Luke shook his head, still looking at her. "Don't apologize." He told her gently. "You know I'm always there for you, right?"

Lorelai nodded and a small smile appeared on her face. _God, it was so good to have Luke in her life. _"Thanks."

"My pleasure." He smiled and played with a strand of her hair before he continued. "She wasn't right, you know."

"Huh?"

"Your mother. She wasn't right with what she was saying to you. Look at your life. You have Rory, a beautiful home, a great job, good friends. You did all this by yourself and you should be proud of all that."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Not maybe. Definitely."

"Okay." She looked down before she met his eyes again. "Can I use your bathroom for a second?"

"Sure. You already know where you can find everything."

"That's right." She gave him a smile and stood up. "I'll be right back."

While Lorelai was in the bathroom, Luke waited on the sofa. He thought about what Lorelai just told him and he couldn't believe how a mother can say something like that to her child. And he realized once again, how his own family had been so much different than Lorelai's.

A few minutes later, Lorelai came back into the living room and took the cup of coffee Luke offered her earlier. After taking a few gulps, she set the mug back on the table and looked at the clock on the wall. "It's late, I think I should go."

"You could stay and we'll watch a movie or something." Luke lifted himself from the sofa, now standing in front of her.

"I don't know. Rory expects that I'm there when she comes home."

"Just leave her a message." He looked at her for a moment. "I could fix us something to eat. Maybe a burger or… I could go and get you some pie from downstairs."

"Hmmm." She considered this for a moment. "Sounds good but…"

"Don't give me a _but_ here."

Lorelai looked back into his eyes and smiled. "Okay good. You won. I'm staying."

"Good. And now tell me what you want." He said, raising his eyebrow.

"What I want?"

"Yes."

"Well…" She moved closer and whispered. "I can _show_ you what I want." Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she pulled him close and slowly started to kiss him.

* * *

_To be continued... _

_Please read and Review. Thanks:) _


	14. Chapter 14

_Okay, I'm sorry it took me so long to write the next chapter but I was kinda busy with a new project of mine. I was working on a new website, scott-patterson dot net, which I launched a few days ago. Hehe :D  
Anyway, here's the new chapter. I hope you'll like it. Oh, and thanks for all your lovely reviews. You guys are the best:hugs all: _

* * *

_"Good. And now tell me what you want." He said, raising his eyebrow._

_"What I want?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Well…" She moved closer and whispered. "I can show you what I want." Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she pulled him close and slowly started to kiss him._

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Luke smiled through the kiss and held Lorelai close to him, his hand caressing her lower back. After a moment, he pulled apart but let his arms rest around her waist. "Uhm, wow. But that's not what I meant."

"No?" Lorelai raised her eyebrow, her finger trailing over his stubble.

"Not exactly. I mean, at least I thought we were talking about food here." He grinned.

"Well, then…" She stopped and reached for his arms to pull them away but Luke held on to her tightly.

"But it doesn't mean I don't like it, you know?"

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked and he nodded in response. "Good for you." She shrugged.

"I know."

Smiling, she leaned in to him again, resting her chin on his shoulder. They were staying like this for a long moment, each of them enjoying their close embrace.

When they pulled apart, their eyes locked and Luke asked carefully. "You okay now?"

Lorelai immediately knew to what he was referring to. To her breakdown earlier, and immediately she felt embarrassment washing over her. But she didn't regret driving to Luke after Dinner instead of heading home where she would've been all alone. It felt good to be with Luke, in any kind of situation and she was sure that she didn't want to lose him. Ever.

So she give him a smiling answer. "I'm good now."

"Okay." He smiled back.

"Uhm, Luke?"

"Yes?" He asked in a low voice.

"If you want me to stay, I'd like to change." Lorelai pointed at the clothes she was wearing, giving him a shy smile.

"Oh, uhm... sure. Just take whatever you need out of my closet."

"Thanks. I'll probably take the shirt I was wearing last week. I kinda like it, you know." She grinned.

"Yeah?"

"Mhm." She nodded. "Now I know why you're so fond of your flannelshirts. They're nice to wear."

"I always told you that."

"But I didn't realize it until I was wearing them myself." Lorelai smiled and looked on the floor before she lifted her eyes again. "So, you said something about food earlier?"

"Yes. So, what do you want?" When he noticed Lorelai's grin, he winced and added quickly. "To eat."

She laughed and patted him on his arm. "Of course to eat. What where you thinking?"

Luke rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you could fix us two burgers or something."

"Sure. With some fries?"

"No, just burgers."

"Then burgers it is." He walked over to the fridge.

"I'll help you in a minute." She told him before she disappeared into Luke's bedroom.

* * *

After they ate their burgers and Lorelai left Rory a message, telling her that she'd stay the night at Luke's, they were laying on the sofa, watching "Conan O'Brien". Luke was laying on his back with Lorelai on top of him, who was resting her head on his chest and facing the tv. Neither of them said anything, only playing with each others fingers. The steady and strong beat of Luke's heart against her ear, helped her to relax, forgetting the horrible evening she had gone through earlier.

Suddenly she lifted her head to look at him, resting her chin on his chest. "This is nice."

Luke turned his head away from the tv and smiled. "Yes, it is."

"Actually, it's _very _nice." She emphasized and studied his face.

He nodded again and noticed that she looked better than before. Of course she won't be able to forget what happened, but it was good to know that he was able to divert her from thinking about it too much.

"Luke."

"Yeah?"

"This thing... what we're doing here... I mean, you and me..."

"Yes?"

"It's working pretty good, don't you think?"

"I'd say that, yes."

"I wish it could always be like this." She took a deep breath, running her finger over his chest until she absentmindedly trailed it down the side of his body. When she felt him jump slightly, she turned her head to look back at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He told her hesitantly.

Then she opened her mouth. "You are ticklish."

"What?" He laughed. "Of course not."

She touched him, where she did earlier and studied his face for any reaction. Luke pulled himself together but soon broke into a grin, trying to shove her hand away from his waist.

"You _are_. Ladies and gentlemen, Luke Danes is ticklish."

"I am_ not. _"

"No? Then what's this?" She tickled him again and he started to shift around under her. "Don't deny it. It's pretty obvious." She had a wide grin on her face and started in a sing-song voice. "Luke is ticklish, Luke is ticklish..."

"Stop it." He said laughing and tried to grab her hand.

"Luke is ticklish. Luke is ticklish..."

"Lorelai." When he finally caught her hand, he swirled them around until she was laying beneath him and she suddenly went silent.

He propped his elbows on either side of her head and held her arms, grinning. "Well, well. See how things can change."

"Yes, unbelievable." She grinned, spreading her legs, so that Luke could comfortably rest between them.

"I told you to stop, you know."

"But I ignored it. I'm such a bad bad girl." Lorelai was still grinning. "And now I'm trapped."

"Exactly."

"Uuuuh, so I guess that's the point where I should get scared, right?"

"You bet."

They looked at each other for a long moment, considering what to do or what to say.

"Well, you know. I kinda like that though." Lorelai told him, breathing heavier.

"You do?" He trailed a finger down her chin.

She nodded, swallowing hard before she added. "Yeah. As long as you're not crushing me."

"Am I hurting you?" He glanced down their bodies and back at her.

"No." Lorelai slowly shook her head. She longed to touch him but Luke was still holding her hands above her head, so she had to wait.

"You know what I like?"

"No. What?"

"The fact that my shirt looks so good on you." He smiled and fumbled with the top button of her shirt until he had it open.

As Luke bent down to her, Lorelai closed her eyes and she felt her stomach tighten when Luke brushed his lips over her neck, ever so softly. She wanted to say something but all she was able to bring out was a soft moan.

After opening another button, Luke buried his face in her neck and kissed the hollow of her shoulder what caused Lorelai to shiver.

Luke was too busy with what he was doing, so he loosened the grip on Lorelai's hands and she immediately took the chance and broke free. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer.

Just as Luke got her hint and brushed his lips softly over hers, Lorelai's cell phone went off. Both too occupied with what they were doing, they first tried to ignore it but the permanent ringing started to get annoying so Luke pulled away and Lorelai groaned.

"Damn phone."

"It might be Rory." Luke sat up, grabbing her cell phone from the couch table and handing it to her.

"Hallo?"

"Lorelai, it's your mother..."

Without hesitation, Lorelai ended the call but didn't say anything.

"What was that?" Luke asked curiously.

"This is unbelievable."

Luke noticed the change in her expression and frowned slightly. "Who was it?"

"My mother." Lorelai sat up too and reached for her glass of water.

"Oh."

"Yeah, what a talent. She always had the talent to ruin my mood." She sipped a few times from her water before she set it back on the table.

The phone started to ring again, but this time she checked the caller's ID first and when she realized that it was her mother again, she quickly turned it off.

"Why the hell is she calling me?" Lorelai settled back and rested her head on the back of the sofa.

"To apologize?"

She laughed. "Not my mother. Probably because I left Dinner in the way I did. But still..."

"Don't let this get to you again." Luke told her softly, touching her fingers.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry."

Luke shook his head. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about." He paused for a moment, thinking about something to pipe her up again. "You want some pie?"

Lorelai met his gaze. "Apple pie?"

"Yes." Luke nodded.

"Okay. I could definitely need some now." She gave him a small smile.

"Then I'll get you some." He walked downstairs into the Diner.

It almost took him ten minutes until he came back upstairs. When he set the plate on the couch table, he noticed that Lorelai was laying on sofa, curled up into a ball.

"Lorelai?" Luke whispered her name but she didn't react. So he carefully lifted her up into his arms where she instinctively slipped her arms around his neck, leaning against him.

"What about my pie?" Lorelai mumbled on the way over to Luke's bed.

"You'll get some for breakfast."

"Promise?"

Luke pulled the covers aside and carefully laid her down. "Promise."

She turned to her side and let out a deep sigh before she snuggled into the pillow and blanket, drifting back to sleep.

* * *

It was around five in the morning when the alarm went off. Immediately, Luke turned round and slapped on it, causing it to stop.

Lorelai groaned at the realization of losing Luke's warmth behind her and the fact that it was way to early to even open her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and placed a kiss on her shoulder before he pulled the covers aside and slipped out of the bed.

"What time is it?" Lorelai mumbled half asleep.

"Five. Just go back to sleep."

"God." She groaned again. "Can't you have Cesar open?"

"No, he's coming in later on weekends."

"Try to find another job." Lorelai pulled the covers up to her chin and rolled over to the warm spot where Luke was laying a minute earlier, snuggling into his pillow.

He smiled. "See you later for breakfast." He whispered again and disappeared into the bathroom.

* * *

Four hours later, after Lorelai took a shower and got dressed, she made her way downstairs into the Diner.

"Hey you." She said to Luke who was just taking orders on one of the tables.

"Morning." He gave her a small peck on the lips before he walked behind the counter to pour her a cup of coffee.

She followed him and hopped on one of the stools. While she was taking big gulps, she studied Luke over the rim of her mug and when she set it back down on the counter, she started. "How do you do this?"

"The coffee?" Luke asked her, puzzled.

"No. To look how you look."

"Huh?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Well, you look very good considering how early it is."

"It's not that early. It's 9."

"Yeah, maybe it's not early for you but it's early for _me_." She yawned and took another big gulp from her coffee. "Look at me. No wait, you better don't." She shielded her eyes from him.

Luke laughed. "Too late, I've already seen you."

"And I'm having a headache. What could be worse when you get up in the morning." She sighed and rubbed her temples.

Luke looked at her sympathetically and leaned forward a little. "It's maybe from the crying yesterday."

"Probably." She shoved her mug back to Luke and waited for him to refill it, what he did. "I'm not even up for half an hour and I still can't wait to lay down again, or taking a relaxing bath..."

Luke lifted his eyes to look at her. "Oh."

"Hm?"

"No, I just... uh, so you wanna cancel our date for tonight?"

"Our date? Ooooh, our date. Yes... I mean, no. No, I don't wanna cancel it."

"But you said..."

"Oh forget what I said. Two aspirins, mixed with redbull and lots of coffee and everything's going to be fine." She grinned widely.

"Lorelai. We really don't have to..."

She held up her hand. "I want to, Luke."

"Okay." He smiled. "I made reservations already."

"You did?" She grinned and Luke nodded.

"I'll pick you up at 7. Is that okay?"

"Perfect." She smiled before her eyes wandered along the counter. "I'm starving. Uhm... I'll take two muffins. Chocolate."

"No apple pie?"

"Nope. I'm in the mood for muffins right now. To go."

Luke nodded and reached for a paperbag to put in two pieces of apple pie before he handed it to her. "Here. It's on the house."

"Luke, don't do this."

"I won't take any money."

"Luke."

"Do you wanna argue with me?" Luke crossed his arms, looking at her seriously.

Lorelai pouted and rubbed her temples. "Not really."

"Good." He bent forward until their lips met in a gentle kiss. When Luke pulled apart, Lorelai cupped his face to pull him into a second kiss again which lasted longer than the first one.

A minute later Lorelai grabbed her coffee and her muffins and walked out of the Diner, leaving a speechless Luke behind the counter who was trying to avert the gazes from the customers who just wittnessed the scene between Lorelai and him...

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Please read and review. Thanks:) _


	15. Chapter 15

_Hey everyone.  
Okay, this is the chapter you've all been waiting for. Don't deny it because I know it. lol It's going to be all fluffly and sappy but I hope you'll like it anyway. :)  
There's a little warning. This chapter might me slightly R... no wait, this would me **M** now (with the new rating, huh?).. anyway. lol I don't know if it's really necessary, but just to be safe. ;)  
Well, enough from me. Here's the new chapter. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 15**

It was a little after six when Lorelai arrived at home. She had an exhausting day because of the tourist group which arrived a little earlier than expected and when not everything was quite finished with the rooms. So she was practically running around the whole day, with an annoying Michel on her heels, trying to deal with the situation as best as she could.

When she closed the door behind her, she slipped out of her jacket and shoes and wanted to make her way upstairs to take a shower and to get ready for her date with Luke, when she saw the lights coming out of the kitchen. So she walked into the other direction, assuming that Rory might still be home, but she immediately stopped when she saw Luke standing in there, busy with chopping and stirring that he didn't even hear when she came in.

She immediately glanced at her watch to check the time because they agreed that Luke would take her out into a restaurant and it wasn't even seven yet. Then her eyes fell on the table, decorated with candles and rose petals, a bottle of iced champagne in the middle, waiting to be opened.

A smile spread across her lips and soundlessly she made her way over to where Luke was standing, slipping her arms around his waist from behind.

"Hey you."

Luke jumped slightly but soon relaxed when he felt her leaning against him. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

"Uhm, cooking?"

"Yeah, I can see that but..." She stopped and looked around. "Wow, it smells delicious."

"Thanks." Luke chuckled slightly while he continued to chop the carrots.

"Why are you doing this? I thought we're going out."

"I changed our plans." When he was finished with chopping the carrots, he put them in the boiling water and started with the mushrooms.

"And why?"

"I thought, maybe you'd prefer a nice evening at home. I heard you had a pretty hectic day and with your headache you already had this morning... well, I decided to change our plans for tonight and cook us something here."

Lorelai smiled behind his back, her arms still around him. She wasn't in a hundred percent mood to go out anyway and it was really a miracle how Luke could almost always know what's best for her.

When she didn't respond, he continued. "Was that okay?"

"Yes, it was." Lorelai sighed happily and looked over his shoulder. "So what's that delicious smell?"

"It's called _Makhani_ _Chicken_."

"Okaaaay." Lorelai said curiously.

"Ever tried it?"

"Not that I know of but it really smells awesome."

"You'll like it."

"Good. I'm starving. The last thing I was eating was your muffin that morning."

"I figured. You didn't come in for lunch today." Luke reached over to stir the sauce, which was bubbling on the stove.

"No time. How was your day?" She asked, still leaning against his back.

"Kinda boring. No wait, I had a little fight with Taylor this afternoon. He was bugging me about something. Don't know what exactly. After the second 'Luke please, can you do me a favour', I shut down my ears and..." Suddenly he stopped when he felt Lorelai's hands finding its way under his shirt. "Lorelai, I'm cooking here."

"Aw, really? Didn't notice that." She grinned and continued to caress his belly. "You don't like that?"

After a sharp intake of breath, Luke answered. "I do. Actually, I really do but... I... I need my concentration here and you're distracting me."

"I do?" She asked innocently.

"Yes." Luke answered her in a low voice. He reached for a towel to clean his hands before he turned round, leaning against the counter of the kitchen, a smile on his face. "Hey."

"Hi." Lorelai leaned in to give him a kiss. "You really put a thought into this. The table looks beautiful."

"Thanks." He smiled, blushing slightly.

"So, when is it ready?"

Luke took a glance at the pan with the mushrooms and carrots. "Five minutes, I guess."

"Okay."

He looked at her for a moment. "We could uhm, open the champagne. You like champagne, right?"

Lorelai nodded eagerly. "Yes."

"I thought that." He gave her a small smile before he took the bottle out of the cooler.

While he worked to get the bottle open, Lorelai watched him grinning. "Can you do me a favour and try to not break my kitchen window?"

"We'll see about that." He grinned back and a second later he opened it with a big pop.

"Wow. _Impressive_." She held the glasses, which Luke started to fill.

"I always get to hear that."

"Yeah? I bet."

He set the bottle back into the cooler and took the glass, Lorelai handed him.

"I hope you're not trying to make me drunk."

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, I always do some crazy things when I'm drunk."

"Yeah?" Luke grinned. "Like what?"

"It's better if you don't know."

"Okay. Maybe I'll see it later anyway." He shrugged but couldn't hide a grin.

"Yeah, maybe." Lorelai laughed. "To us." She said smiling and clinked her glass against Luke's.

"To us." He repeated before both of them took a sip.

"Mhhh, this is good."

"Actually, I'm more of a beer type." Luke said and set his glass back on the table.

"Oh yeah? I have beer too. You want some?"

"No. Not tonight." He smiled. "Let's eat. Dinner should be ready."

* * *

After Lorelai ate her last bite, she leaned back in her chair and held her stomach. "Wow. That was _so _good."

Luke watched her with a smile. "Thanks."

"You know, I could get used to this. You have terrific cooking skills."

"This wasn't a big deal."

"Believe me, it was. You're talking to a woman who can't even make popcorn without getting them burnt." She grinned. "I would be stupid if I'd ever let you go again."

Luke chuckled but didn't say anything. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "I hope you have a little space left for dessert."

Lorelai's eyes lit up. "Dessert? Seriously?"

He nodded and stood up. "Just go into the living room while I fix it. I'll join you in a minute then."

"'kay." Lorelai got up and left the kitchen to make herself comfortable on the couch.

After a few moments, Luke came back with a tray. He placed it down on the small table before he joined Lorelai on the sofa.

When she saw what Luke made her, her eyes grew wide. "Banana Split? Oh my god. You definitely know the way to a woman's heart." She said and grinned from ear to ear.

Luke just laughed. "Yeah, I do." He handed her the small plate and a spoon, and watched her as she started to eat.

"You don't want any of that?" Lorelai asked him when she shoved a piece of banana into her mouth.

"No." Luke shook his head, smiling.

"But this is good. You're missing something."

"I rather like watching you while you're eating it."

"Actually, this would sound weird but I like it when _you_'re saying it." Lorelai grinned and shoved another spoon of ice cream into her mouth. When their eyes met, they stared at each other for a long moment, feeling the passion building between them.

Hesitantly, Lorelai set the plate aside and put her feet up on the sofa and under her. "Dinner was great. Thank you."

Tugging nervously at his sleeve, Luke cleared his throat. "You're welcome."

"Hmm, let me think of something to pay it back to you." Lorelai grinned and shifted closer to him.

He lifted his head to look at her. "You don't have to p…"

But Lorelai wouldn't let him finish, and without another word she kissed him, brushing her lips softly against his, once, then twice, before pulling back slightly to look at him with a grin. "Are we even now?"

"What?" Luke laughed. "I made you dinner with dessert and all I get is this?"

"Well, what did _you_ expect, Mister?" She raised an eyebrow, trying to hide a grin.

"Nothing. I was just saying that… I mean, I told you that…" Luke started to ramble incoherently what made Lorelai smile.

"I got that. Sorry, I was just joking." She thought for a second before she grabbed his hand and pulled him up from the sofa. "C'mon, I have an idea."

He gave her a puzzled look. "What?"

"Just take our glasses, would you?" She reached for the candle on the table and grabbed Luke's shirt to pull him with her.

When they were in the bathroom, she locked the door behind them and set the candle on the edge of the tub. Then she started to fill it with water and her favorite scent of _bubble bath_ before she turned back to Luke, who was still standing there, holding their champagne.

"Are you going to take a bath?" He asked confused and put the glasses on a shelf.

"No. _We_ are going to take a bath." She reached over and turned off the lights, so that the room was just dimly lit through the candle, Lorelai brought with them.

"What?" Luke almost choked. "We?"

"Yeah." Lorelai slowly started to unbutton his shirt. "Or don't you wanna take a bath with me?"

"Sure… I… I guess I do."

Lorelai smiled widely at his words. "Good." She pushed the shirt off his shoulders until it fell on the floor behind him. Then she pulled the grey cotton shirt, he was wearing underneath, off his head too.

"Lorelai." Luke whispered hoarsely when she ran a finger over his chest, his heart started to race.

Smiling, she took a step back and started to undress herself too, her eyes staying on Luke's the whole time.

When both were completely free of clothes, they climbed into the tub, Luke slipping in behind her.

Lorelai leaned back against him, enjoying the feeling of their bodies touching under the water. When she felt Luke's heart pounding against her back, she smiled and reached for his hand, playing with his fingers.

Neither of them saying anything for a long moment but just enjoying the closeness to each other.

"Luke?" Lorelai started then to break the silence, while she ran a finger over Luke's palm.

"Yeah?" Luke answered hoarsely.

"Just wanted to make sure you're still there." She grinned and reached behind Luke's neck to caress him.

"Sure."

"You were so silent back there."

"Just enjoying." He smiled when she tilted her head back slightly to look at him.

With her hand still on the back of his neck, she pulled him down until their lips met in a soft kiss. Both started to moan when the kiss intensified, becoming more passionate.

After pulling apart, Lorelai licked her lips and leaned her head back against Luke's chest, smiling. "Did you ever think this would happen. You and me, together in a tub?"

"I don't know." Luke answered hesitantly. Sure, he was fantasizing about this but there was no need to tell her about it, was it?

"But I like it." She paused for a moment. "You like it, too?"

"What a question."

"Good." She continued playing with his fingers. "Those are huge hands you're having here."

"Yeah?" Luke smiled, slightly confused. "So?"

"I have a thing for huge hands. Did you know that?"

"I don't think so." Luke took the sponge and dipped it into the water.

"Well, now you know it."

"Yeah, I guess I do." Hesitantly, he started to glide it down her arm, over her belly and down her thigh, ever so slowly.

Dying to get what she wanted, she took the sponge out of his hand and made him touch her. When his fingers brushed over her soft skin, Lorelai's body shuddered and her heart immediately started pounding against her ribs.

Luke started to draw lazy patterns on her soft skin, while he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. Slowly, he leaned closer and closer, breathing against Lorelai's neck, making her desperate in her needs. Brushing her hair off her right shoulder, he bent down until his lips came in contact with her skin. Her heart did a quick bounce at this new sensation and she tilted her head to the other side to give Luke better access.

_ This is starting to get good_. She smiled and ran a finger affectionately over his forearm under the water, guiding him slowly up her body. Inch by inch, just were she wanted to be touched.

Luke started to feel the heat rising inside him while he nuzzled the soft skin of Lorelai's shoulder and his hand roamed her body.

"Lorelai." He whispered against her skin.

At the sound of his voice, everything inside her tumbled and she couldn't help but let out a soft moan. This was one of the reasons he fascinated her. The way he was saying her name like no one other did. Like she was all he needed, all he wanted. To sink into. And nothing else would matter anymore.

Finally, she turned her head and their eyes met. Luke's lips curved and it took just a second until their lips met in a long and lingering kiss, while his hand glided up the side of her body. Gently. Tenderly. Taking it's own sweet time to discover her body. Soft moans escaped both of them, their tongues duelling as both of them searching the way into each other's mouth.

After a few minutes of passionate kissing, they pulled apart, trying to catch their breaths.

Luke rested his cheek against hers while they let their fingers link.

"The water is getting cold." Lorelai whispered smiling, staring at the candle that dipped the room into a dim and cosy light.

"Mhmm." Luke simply said, making her lean back against him again.

"The candle is almost burnt down. We don't wanna sit in the dark, do we?" Lorelai asked although not making the slightest attempt to move.

"Uh-uh. And we don't wanna get all wrinkled either, right?"

Lorelai let out a small laugh. "I guess not."

"So, maybe we should get outta here."

"Probably." Sighing, she sat up straight, reached over to the towel-rail to grab a big and cosy bath towel before she stood up, and wrapped it around her body. Carefully stepping out of the tub, she reached for a second towel, which she handed Luke.

He took it thankfully and wrapped it around his waist, before he stepped out too and pulled the plug, causing the water to rinse down the drain.

While Luke started to dry his body, Lorelai started to brush her hair, watching Luke in the mirror.

When he looked up, he met her eyes and stepped up behind her to pull her close. "What are you looking at?"

"Us."

"Us?"

"Yeah." She smiled.

"And what do you see?" Luke asked, smiling at the picture of them.

"An adorable couple?" Lorelai grinned and reached to caress the back of Luke's neck.

"Yeah. True."

Hesitantly, she turned in Luke's arms to face him, playing with the small hair on his chest. "Luke?"

"Ya?"

"You wanna stay for the night?" Lorelai asked carefully, fixing her eyes back on him.

"Uhm, if you want to. Yes."

"Is it okay with the Diner and everything?"

"I already asked Pete to open the Diner for me tomorrow morning because I figured it might get late."

"Ya? You're such a good planner."

"Yeah, it's a talent." He let out a small laugh and tightened the towel around his waist.

Lorelai leaned closer to nuzzle his neck and the spot behind his ear. "Mhhh, you smell like mango."

"You too." Luke closed his eyes and let Lorelai doing… well, what she was doing because it felt incredibly good. But suddenly his eyes shot open. "Please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing."

She continued for a few more seconds before she eased back and gave him a wide grin. "And this would be?"

Luke made a step to the side so that he was able to see himself in the mirror and his mouth fell open when he saw that he _was_ right. "Lorelai, I don't believe it. Look what you've done."

"Yeah. Man, I'm good at this." She was still grinning while she brushed her finger lightly over the spot on his neck.

"This… this is a hickey."

"I know."

"You just gave me a hickey." He looked into the mirror, a frown on his face.

Lorelai nodded again.

"Why… why did you do that? Everyone will see it."

"Well..."

"And I hate wearing turtlenecks."

"Good because you're not allowed to hide it anyway. It's a sign."

"A sign?"

"A love mark, to be specific."

"Okaaay." Luke said slowly.

"Everyone should be able to see that you're mine. And _only_ mine."

Luke made a step back from the mirror and turned to look at her, his lips twitching into a small smile. "And you need a hickey to show that?"

"Yeah." She linked her arms around Luke's neck and once more noticed how well their bodies fit together.

"You're crazy." He grinned and crushed her mouth down to hers, causing her knees to weaken and her heart to flutter.

"I'll make up for it." She mumbled between kisses, clinging tightly around Luke's neck to keep her from falling.

"How?"

Lorelai pulled back and reached for a bottle of massage oil, she kept in the bathroom cabinet.

"A massage?" Luke asked and Lorelai gave him a nod. "You're giving me a massage?"

"Well, take it or leave it."

"Then I'll take it of course."

"Good. Upstairs. My bedroom. Now."

After Lorelai blew out the candle, she pulled Luke out of the bathroom and upstairs into her room, neither of them noticing the small light, blinking on her answering machine.

Upstairs, Lorelai locked the door and motioned Luke to lie down on the bed as she turned on the small light on her nightstand. After he did what he was told, she straddled to sit on him, rubbing some of the oil onto her palms. "Just don't fall asleep, okay?"

"Yeah. Let's just get started." He mumbled and shifted slightly to make himself comfortable on Lorelai's bed.

"Be nice or I'll change my mind."

"I'm sorry." He grinned into the pillow. "Please."

"Good boy." Smiling, she started to rub his neck and shoulders, causing a soft moan out of Luke's mouth every now and then. "You like it?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay." She smiled and continued, gliding her arms down his arms and back to his shoulders where they find their way down his back.

Suddnly, she leaned down to whisper close to his ear. "Luke, I wanna make love to you."

It took a moment for the words to sink in. Then Luke's eyes flew open and he angled his head to the side. _What did she just say? He heard it right, did he?_ But just to be sure, he asked carefully.

"What?"

"Enough of a foreplay. I wanna make love to you." She breathed against his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.

Luke turned on his back before he rolled them both around so that he was on top, propping his elbows on either side of her head.

"I take that as a yes." She grinned widely and pulled him down into a kiss while Luke reached between them to free her from her towel, exposing her to him. He eased back for a moment to admire her body, the beauty of her shape, he fantasized about for years.

"What?" Lorelai whispered when she found Luke staring at her.

"Nothing." He replied hesitantly and met her lips again.

Their kissing intensified when Lorelai glided her hand down his back and pulled on the towel around Luke's waist, so that their naked bodies finally came in full contact with each other.

"God, Lorelai."

She brought one of her hands to his face, felt the rough stubble beneath her fingertips. Luke responded by opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. To give her everything. Everything and more...

They made love for a long time, slow and passionate, enjoying the sensation of becoming one, in the most sensual way, until they fell asleep, holding each other as close as possible.

**To be continued...**

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_Phew, just noticed how long that chapter was. lol And... I can hear you saying FINALLY... am I right, or am I right? LOL Hehe!_

_Please let me know if you liked it. Thanks:) _


	16. Chapter 16

_Thanks for all your nice reviews. LOL I knew you'd like this part. Hehe. And since they wouldn't give us a slightest bit of something like that on the show, I had to write what I'd love to see lol and to cheer you all up. I really hope it worked._

Not a lot of LL scenes in the last eppy, huh:(

Anyway, here's the next Chapter. Enjoy:) 

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Lorelai woke up at the feeling of Luke's breath against her neck. He was snoring softly and held his arm tightly around her waist, almost as if he was afraid, she wouldn't be here the second he opened his eyes.

Lorelai smiled, leaning back against his warm body that worshipped her the night before. Unconditionally. Sensually. A side of him, she didn't even know it existed. It wasn't that she didn't fantasized about it every once in a while because Luke was an attractive man after all, but she always told herself to see him as her friend. And she couldn't have such fantasies about a friend. Right? But now everything had changed. They crossed a line even though they knew about the danger that possibly could implicate it. The danger of not only losing a lover but also a best friend.

Even though they were lying here together, both of them exhausted from a night full of passion and tenderness. But they chose it, because they knew that this was different from their previous relationships. Different because they were friends before. Best friends. They have seen each other in the every kind of situation, even in the worst. They knew each other better than any other person ever did.

Lorelai pulled the covers aside and wanted to get out of bed when Luke started to mumble.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back." Lorelai whispered and slipped into Luke's flannel shirt. Taking one quick glance back at Luke, she left her room and walked downstairs into the kitchen with the intention of making breakfast. When she opened the refrigerator, she let out a long groan. There was nothing in it, except Chinese leftovers and an old piece of pizza, she couldn't even remember when she ordered it.

Frowning, she decided it would be best if they'd go to Luke's for breakfast, and made a mental note that she really should go to Doose's to buy some things for the next days.

She shuffled to the front door to pick up the newspaper from her doorstep, but she startled when she found her mother standing there as she just wanted to ring the bell.

"Mom." Lorelai said, pressing a hand against her heart.

"Lorelai." Emily started and looked her daughter up and down, not failing to take a notice of what she was wearing.

Hugging herself into Luke's shirt, her eyes fell down on her bare feet before she met her mother's gaze. "What are you doing here?"

"Is this supposed to be a pyjama?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrows in some sort of disapproval.

Frowning, Lorelai let out a deep sigh. "Yeah. But you didn't come to discuss my choice of pyjamas with me, didn't you?"

"Certainly not. Don't you think it's a little too late to run around like this?"

"It's Sunday and I just got up."

Emily looked at her watch. "It's after ten. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"No, Mom. And can we please come to the point of your visit?" Lorelai was getting impatient and a little uncomfortable, not only because she stood there with just a flannel shirt but also because she really didn't want to start a Sunday morning with a discussion with her mother.

"Don't you wanna ask me in, Lorelai? Though I don't mind to discuss this outside on your porch. I just met Babette when I walked towards your house. She seems to be nice and very chatty, and she's just sitting in her garden and…"

Lorelai let out a desperate sigh. "Do you wanna come in, Mom?"

"Oh, how sweet of you. Thank you." Emily stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"So?"

"Well, I was calling you a few times but either you weren't at home or you wouldn't take my calls. I even got a disconnected sound a few times after you picked up the phone. What a coincident, don't you think?"

"Very." Lorelai mumbled and avoided her mother's gaze.

"Then I left you a message but you wouldn't call me back either."

"I never got a message."

"I left it on your answering machine yesterday."

"I didn't…" Lorelai glanced over to her answering machine where a small red light blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice there was a message."

"Sure because you were busy."

Lorelai answered hesitantly. "Yes."

"Lorelai?" Luke came down the stairs and ran his fingers through his tousled hair as he yawned. "Did you take my shirt again?" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that Emily Gilmore was standing in the middle of the living room.

Emily's eyes wandered to Luke. She blinked twice before she turned back to Lorelai. "You're not alone."

_ Duh! How genius of you, Mom._ "No."

"You bring some _man_ in the house when Rory is at home? How can you do that?"

"Excuse me? Luke is not _some man_."

"No? But he's still a man, is he?"

Lorelai gave her mother a hard glare. "Rory is not at home. She spent the night at Lane's house."

"Uh-huh." Emily said and for a moment there was silence between them all.

"Oh uh, hi… I mean, nice to meet you Mrs. Gilmore."

"Hello Luke." Emily said before she paused, watching him closely. "Seems like you just found the shirt you were missing." Her eyes wandered to the shirt, Lorelai was wearing.

"Well…"

"It was really nice to meet you, Luke." Emily put on a fake smile. "But do you mind excusing us? I have to talk to my daughter for a minute."

"Sure, I just…" He gestured towards the kitchen.

"He's staying."

"Luke, this is a conversation between me and Lorelai. So would you…"

"Lorelai, it's no problem. I just wait over there and…" Luke tried again, feeling a little uncomfortable standing between Lorelai and her mother.

Lorelai turned to him, giving him a pleading look, telling him to stay because she needed him.

"Don't act childish, Lorelai."

"Look, whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Luke. Or is that a problem for you, _mother_?"

Emily pondered for a moment. "Of course not."

"Fine. Then maybe we can come to the reason why you are here and what you want."

"I'm here to talk to you about your behaviour on Friday."

"About _my_ behaviour?"

"Yes, of course yours."

"I didn't do anything wrong." Lorelai shook her head.

"It was certainly not me who was shouting hysterically before storming out of the dining room."

"I just wanted to get away and I did _not_ shout hysterically."

"No? Then ask your father. I'm sure he would agree with me on that. We were just having a simple conversation and…" Emily pointed out but Lorelai immediately cut her off.

"Maybe you did forget who started this _conversation_, as you call it so nicely, in the first place." Lorelai emphasized slowly as she was making quotation marks.

"I just told you my opinion on some things in your life. There was no need to go off like this."

"Sure." Lorelai folded her arms above her chest while she shook her head, her eyes fixed on the monkey lamp next to the window.

"I just pointed out some things."

"Look, I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

"But I do. Lorelai, I know it's already too late for you but it's not too late for Rory. You made your decisions in life and god knows I couldn't do anything about it, or ever will." Emily said, glancing over at Luke, which didn't remain unnoticed by Lorelai.

"What, Mom? Got some problems with Luke?"

"That's not the point."

"Yeah, sure. But hey, it's non of your business anyway. It's none of your business with what I'm doing with my life, including who am I dating."

"Lorelai."

"I don't even know why you came today if everything you do is insulting me again, I certainly don't need that. And now excuse me." Lorelai moved around and pushed past Luke towards the stairs.

"Where are you going? You can't always run away when things get complicated, Lorelai." Emily called after her but Lorelai didn't react and rushed upstairs into her room, leaving Luke alone with her mother.

"And that's the woman you chose to be with." Emily said with a sigh.

Luke studied his fingers, fighting to keep his temper. But he couldn't. "You are _so_ wrong about everything. Lorelai is successful in her life even if you can't see that because she didn't chose the path you thought would be right for her. And she's the best Mom Rory could ever think of. Lorelai knows what's good for her and she doesn't need _you_ to tell her what to do. Lorelai raised the kid since she was sixteen, so she knows what she's doing. Ever thought about telling her how proud you are of her for raising Rory and made her the great kid she is today? No, of course not. And then you're wondering why your relationship with Lorelai is not the same like the one she has with Rory." Luke stopped and took in a deep breath. _Wow, he didn't just say all that, did he?_

"You should put on a shirt before you catch a cold." Emily told him as if she did not hear what Luke was just telling her. She turned on her heels and walked to the front door. "Tell Lorelai, I'll see her on Friday." And with that she left.

Luke let out a deep breath, which he didn't know he was holding. He immediately walked upstairs and knocked on Lorelai's door before he opened it to peek inside her room.

Lorelai was pulling clothes out of her closet and throwing them on the floor behind her,

Luke watched her for a moment, before he spoke. "She's gone."

"Good." Lorelai snapped and threw another shirt on the pile next to her on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked, taking a few steps towards her.

"What does it look like? I'm cleaning out my closet."

"Okay."

"You know what? I don't believe this. She came to me, into my house, and telling me all those things _again_. Not that she might come to apologize, of course not. How could I even _consider_ it would be something else than the scenario which just happened downstairs. That was Emily Gilmore in her full glory." She paused for a moment. Thinking. "That's it. We're through."

"Don't say that." Luke reached for her arm but Lorelai pulled it away before he could touch her.

"And _you_." She pointed at him with a hint of anger. "You wanted to leave me alone with her. How could you do that?"

"I just thought I'd give you some room to talk."

"Yeah, how nice of your Luke."

"I'm sorry." He scratched his head and looked on the floor.

"I wanted you to stay because I needed you. I needed you to be there for me. Moreover, my mother is too well educated as that she would've yelled at me in front of you." Lorelai closed her closet door and leaned against it, looking at Luke.

"I guess I took over that part." Luke winced, rubbing the back of his head.

"You mean, _I_ did."

"No. I did." He let out a sigh. "I just yelled at your mother downstairs."

Lorelai blinked twice before she realized what Luke was just telling her. "You did _what_?"

"I don't know. I just got so furious about all this. How she was talking to you and everything. I couldn't stand there without saying anything."

"You yelled at my mother?" Lorelai asked again, taking a step towards him.

"I'm afraid so."

"I don't believe you yelled at my mother."

"I don't believe it either." He sighed before he met Lorelai's eyes again. "I'm…"

But Lorelai wouldn't let him finish and pressed her lips against his, kissing him deeply. When she pulled back, she told him softly. "Don't even try to apologize for this." Her lips twitched into a smile.

"She probably hates me now."

"Probably." Lorelai slipped her arms around his neck.

"That's just great."

"It doesn't matter because I'm never talking to her again. _Ever_."

"You can't do that."

"Of course, I can."

"She wants you to come to Dinner on Friday." Luke told her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"In her dreams." Lorelai laughed and pulled him closer.

"You're serious about this?"

Lorelai just nodded, trailing a finger down his chest. "You should be glad because from now on I'm free every Friday night."

"Sounds good but…" Luke paused, looking at her intensly. "…I'm not sure if this is right."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Please." Lorelai batted her eyelashes, smiling.

"Okay."

"Since there's absolutely nothing in my fridge, what do you say if we're going to Luke's for breakfast?"

"We can do that."

"Good. But I need a shower first." She walked to leave the room but turned around when she noticed that Luke sat down on the bed.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I said I want to take a shower now."

"Yeah, I know. Just leave me some hot water, would you?"

"So, does that mean you don't wanna take a shower with me?" Lorelai asked, pouting and twirling a strand of hair over her finger.

"Oh you…" Luke rose from the bed. "…I just thought you wanted, I mean…"

Lorelai smiled and held out her hand to Luke. "I told you, it's not good when you think _too_ much."

Luke laughed. "Gee, thanks a lot." He slipped his hand in hers and let her pull him out of the room.

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**To be continued... **

_Please tell me if you like it. Thanks. :)_


	17. Chapter 17

_Wow, okay. I'm so sorry it took me so long to write the next chapter. But you know how it is with offline life and everything. lol Thanks for everyone who's still reading this story and for all your reviews. I just can't get enough of them lol .. you guys make my day. :)_

_Oh and that was a season finale, huh? Good, as a spoiler whore like I am lol, I knew what was going to come but woah, that last scene was so incredibly sweet. Those too are just meant to be together. ASP, I hope you know what you're doing. _

_Anyway, here's the new Chapter. I hope you guys like it. Enjoy. :)_

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**Chapter 17**

_ Friday - around __ six pm_

Lorelai walked across the street to Luke's, smiling from ear to ear because she was in a terrible good mood and she couldn't wait to see Luke again. Of course it was kinda ridiculous because she came in for a cup of coffee that morning but she already missed his grunting and ranting and... well everything. Smiling, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, causing the bells above her head to jingle, and when her eyes roamed the Diner, her heart fell when he wasn't there. Frowning, she walked to the counter when she heard some cursing and muttering from behind there.

Thinking that she had found him, she smiled and leaned over. "Hey. Where's my favorite Diner Boy?"

"Uhm, it depends."

"Oh, uh... sorry."

Pete raised to his feet and cleaned his hands in a towel before he met Lorelai's eyes. "Something in your eyes tells me I wasn't the one your were looking for." He quipped and flashed her a grin.

"Well, actually..." Lorelai grinned back and tapped with her fingers on the counter. "Not really, Pete. Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah. It's okay." He tried to look offended but it didn't really work.

"So, where's Luke?"

"I think he went upstairs a few minutes ago." Pete shrugged and shoved his hands into the backpockets of his jeans.

"Oh okay. Then I just go and... look why he's sneaking out of his work down here." Lorelai winked and made her way upstairs.

"Sure. Do that." Pete called after her, grinning.

Upstairs, Lorelai found Luke's apartment door ajar, so she just opened it further to walk in. Luke was standing in front of his closet, muttering something while he was looking for a shirt. She tiptoed over to him and slipped her arms around his waist from behind, kissing his bare shoulder. "Gotcha."

Luke startled before he turned around. "Geez. You know how to give someone a heart attack."

"Sorry." Lorelai gave him an innocent smile and ran her fingers over his chest, ever so slightly. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Changing my shirt. There was some conflict with the coffee maker and yeah, seems like it won."

Lorelai, who had started to kiss Luke's jaw, pulled back to look at him. "It won? What does that mean? Did you break it?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"What?" Her eyes widened and she took a step back. "You... you broke the coffee maker?"

"It was spurting coffee all over me and I wanted it to stop so I kicked it. Stupid thing shouldn't have started to annoy me in the first place."

"You... kicked it?"

"Yes."

"And now?"

"I can tell you what now. There'll be no coffee in the next few weeks. Shouldn't be that bad actually because there's always tea and hot chocolate left. Even orange juice, which is so much healthier anyway. Some of my clients should switch to that for a while. Maybe they're pissed off but they'll be thankful one day."

"This is a joke, right?"

"No." Luke said, trying to hide a grin and yanked a shirt out of the closet. "C'mon. It's just for a few weeks."

"Weeks." Lorelai laughed and shook her head. "Just a few _weeks_? I don't even survive a few _days_." She thought for a moment while she watched Luke slip into a clean shirt. "Go, get Bert. You have to fix it."

"I've tried."

"You're my Mr. Fix it. You can fix _everything_. Try it again."

"Lorelai." He watched her with an amused smile while he buttoned up his shirt.

"Seriously. You're about to lose your best client here." She pointed at herself. "But fine. Okay. If you don't care. I'll go to Weston's." She told him with her hands on her hips and added muttering. "Damn, the coffee there sucks."

"Hey my little junkie. Come here." Luke reached for her hand and pulled her to him.

"Luke, this is _so _not the time to lecture me because of my everlasting need of coffee."

"I'd never dare to do that." He wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her ear. "It's so much fun to tease you."

It took her a moment to realize what he just said, then she pulled back. "What? This was a joke?"

"Yes. And you should've seen the look on your face. Priceless."

"Oh, you think this is _so _funny, right?" She slapped his chest and turned away from him but Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her to him again. "Hey."

"Come on. This was funny. Admit it."

"Very." She gave him a vicious glare before she looked away again.

"I'm sorry."

"Never joke about something like that again."

"I promise." He crossed his heart and gave her a smile. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

"Don't think... when you're doing this... I can forgive you that easily." She mumbled against his mouth.

"Of course not." He tilted his head and met her lips in a second kiss. Deeper this time. Not giving her the slightest attempt to say something back.

She tried to fight it but soon lost control of what was happening. He had her. With his mouth, with his fingers which found their way under her blouse, trailing over the smooth skin of her back.

After a minute, they pulled apart. Both of them slightly breathless and smiling.

"_Wow_. But I told you not to use this to shut me up." Lorelai grinned and played with his hair at the back of his head.

"But it works like a charm." Luke flashed her a grin before he glanced at his watch. "Woah, okay. Gotta go back downstairs. Pete's waiting." He gave her one quick kiss on the cheek before he turned to walk away but Lorelai grabbed his arm to pull him back.

"Uh uh uh. Don't start something like this and then just walk away, Mister. I will certainly not tolerate that." She looked at him seductively.

"Pete will be wondering what we're doing up here."

"Let him." She started to kiss his neck while her fingers continued to fumble with his shirt.

"Lorelai. We can't do this." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply when he felt Lorelai's fingers on his skin. "There're clients down there, you know?"

"Just try to stay quiet, then it's not going to be a problem." Her lips skimmed his jaw while they tumbled towards Luke's bed.

"What?" Luke let out a laugh.

"You don't remember anymore? Last night?" She studied him for a moment before she contined with a wide grin on her face. "Here's something to refresh your memory. '_Oh, Lorelai... oooh, don't stop... oh god..._'.

"Geez. Stop that." Luke laughed again, shaking his head.

"What? Am I right or am I right?"

"Sure okay, I confess." He was still grinning. "But do me a favor and promise me the same thing. You weren't that quiet yourself last night. And this was just to refresh _your_ memory."

"Yeah, probably." Lorelai giggled before she continued to nibble at the soft skin of his neck.

Luke had already unhooked her trousers when they fell on the bed. Shirts found their way to the floor and soft moans filled the room.

"Woman, you're driving me crazy." Luke whispered before he rolled them over so that he was on top.

"That's my intention." She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. Her mouth crushed to his while his busy hands worshipped her, taking its own sweet time to discover every inch of her body.

They were so lost into each other that they didn't hear the knock on the door before Rory entered Luke's apartment. "Mom? Pete told me you're up here. Mom?"

"Oh god." Lorelai whispered and they jumped apart. "Uh Rory. Stay uh... where you are, uhm..." She reached for their clothes on the floor. "Get dressed." Lorelai whispered to Luke while she slipped into her blouse and buttoned it up. Then she stepped around the corner, her face flushed and her hair tousled like she just got up in the morning.

"Hey." Lorelai cleared her throat, smiling nervously.

"Mom."

She skimmed her fingers through her hair. "What are you doing here?"

When Luke was dressed too, he stepped into sight, giving Rory an embarrassed smile. "Hey."

They looked at each other for a moment, before Luke broke the silence. "I gotta go downstairs."

"'kay." Lorelai whispered and watched him walk out of the room, before she turned back to Rory. "Okay, this wasn't what it probably looked like."

"Your shirt." Rory motioned to Lorelai's blouse.

"Oh." She fumbled with the buttons of her blouse to fix them.

"Look, I don't care what you just did with Luke... or _not _did because you know I'm happy for you two. And you know that. But what does that mean?" She took out a crumpled sheet of paper and held it in front of Lorelai. "What's this?"

"A note." Lorelai deadpanned, eyeing the note and then Rory.

"Wow, wouldn't have noticed."

"It's just telling you that I won't come to dinner."

"Okay, so you're not going to Dinner." Rory repeated, her eyes narrowing. "Why?"

Lorelai let out a sigh. "Rory, I told you last week that I won't go."

"Yeah, you did. But I thought you said it in the heat of the moment. You just can't skip Dinner like that even if you had a fight with grandma."

"It wasn't just a fight. Not a normal one like we have it all the time. It was huge and..." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I just won't go."

"And what do I tell grandma?"

"I'm sure she already figured that I might won't come." Lorelai sat down on Luke's bed to slip into her shoes. "But if you want to tell her something, tell her I have to work."

"And that you'll be there next week, right?"

Lorelai lifted her head to look at her daughter. "Rory. I... I don't know."

"What? You don't wanna come to Dinner for the rest of your life?"

"Look, I'm sorry you're mad at me because I leave you alone with them but I just don't wanna see grandma right now, okay? And besides, it shouldn't be so bad for you anyway because you always liked to go to your grandparents. It's not different now just because I won't be there anymore."

"Grandma isn't going to like that."

"Probably."

"So, you're really sure about that?"

"Yeah." Lorelai lifted from the bed. "Don't be mad at me, Rory. I have my reasons."

"Fine, okay."

"Thank you." Lorelai said, looking on the floor. "God, this was embarrassing."

"You better lock the door the next time." Rory said. "It's already weird to think that you and Luke... you know. I don't have to see it, too."

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Lorelai laughed. "How could we know that you'll come upstairs. You never come upstairs. Have you ever been upstairs? It's nice, huh?"

"Yes, looks very comfy." Rory said, looking around the apartment. "The bed is kinda small, isn't it?"

"It is. But it's not a bad thing actually but that's not something I should tell you right? Sure you don't want to think about me and Luke.. and..."

"Yes, that would be nice." Rory snorted out a laugh. "Well, okay. I should go or I'll be late."

"Don't worry. It'd be my fault anyway." Lorelai looked around until she found her purse somewhere on the floor. She took out her car keys and handed them to Rory. "Here. And drive save, hun'."

"Sure." She gave her mother a kiss on her cheek. "Bye. See you later."

"Yeah. Bye." Lorelai watched her daughter leave before she walked down into the Diner herself, sitting at the counter and waiting for Luke to come back from the kitchen. A few minutes later, Luke came out, carrying some plates to bring them to the customers.

"Is everything okay?" Luke asked when he was back behind the counter.

"Yes." Lorelai nodded with a smile. "Everything's fine."

"Good. I just thought there's something wrong because Rory... uhm, you know... wow, did she see anything? I mean, we were just... please tell me she didn't."

"No, she didn't. Thank god. But she told me we should lock the door next time."

"That's probably a wise idea."

"Lock the door? For what?" Pete asked when he came out of the kitchen. "Hey Luke, what's that on your neck?" He knew what it was but it was always fun to tease him.

"What?" Luke reached up and when he noticed Lorelai's grin, he immediately adjusted the collar of his shirt. "Lorelai."

"Yeah?" She tried to look innocently.

"You did it again."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She grinned, biting her lower lip.

Pete patted Luke's back, grinning widely. "Nothing to be ashamed of. All the cool kids are doing it."

"That's what I told him."

"Well, good to know that you're in complete agreement."

"At least I know what you were just doing upstairs." Pete wriggled with his eyebrows, a wide grin on his face.

"Pete. Go back to work." Luke grumbled and turned back to Lorelai. "You just had to do it again, right?"

"I'm sorry. It just happened."

"You know how long I had the last one. Almost a damn week."

"I told you, you can use my makeup to hide it."

"I'm _not_ using something like that." Luke frowned but soon broke into a smile. "You're unbelievable."

"I take that as a compliment."

"You can." He took out his order pad. "So, since Rory is gone and you're not, I assume you're not going to your parents today?"

"Damn right." Lorelai said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Okaaaay." Luke answered slowly, smiling. "And what will you do with your free evening."

"Watching my favorite Diner Boy when he's doing his work."

"Then you'll get bored soon."

"I don't think you. Your sexy butt never fails to entertain me."

"So true, darling." Patty threw in from one of the tables.

"Oh geez." Luke looked away, slightly blushing.

"Aw, don't get embarrassed Luke. We know what we're talking about. Right, Patty?"

"Absolutely."

Lorelai laughed and leaned over the counter, so that only Luke could hear her. "Hey, I thought I was the only here who saw you naked."

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, considering how Patty is talking I'd bet she saw you naked too. Now I'm jealous." Lorelai tried to look hurt.

Luke started to laugh and leaned in to gave her a small kiss.

"What was that?"

"What? Am I not allowed to kiss my girlfriend whenever I want?"

"Of course you can. But look where we are." Lorelai gestured around.

"So?"

"At your Diner." She explained and when he didn't respond, she contined. "Public place? Lots of people? Talking? Center of attention..."

"Ah, that." Luke just shrugged. "So? One word and I won't do it again."

"That's not what I meant." Lorelai grinned and grabbed the collar of his flannel to pull him in a kiss, which lasted longer than the one he gave her earlier.

When she was satisfied, she pulled back, licking her lips. "And now give me the menue. I'm starving."

* * *

**To be continued... **

_Please leave me a review. Thanks. :) _


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Wow, I'm so sorry it took me so long for this chapter. I just couldn't find the time to write. But well, finally here it is. I hope you like it. Enjoy! )**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

It was after nine when Luke locked the door of the Diner, exhaling deeply before he walked back to where Lorelai was sitting at the counter.

"Finally." She said smiling and reached for his hand.

"You know I told you to go home an hour ago." He slipped his hand in hers, giving her a smile.

"I know." Lorelai shrugged and looked at their joined hands before she met his eyes again.

"And like almost always you wouldn't listen." He stepped closer, so that he was now standing between her thighs.

"Hey, I didn't say anything, did I?" She winked and played with his fingers.

_ God, she loved Luke's hands. They're so big and... skillful._

"I still can't believe that you actually sat here the whole time. Very boring evening for you."

"Actually, I wasn't _that_ bored."

Luke knew what she was referring to. To the one hour conversation she had with Kirk earlier. "Yeah, I remember."

"And believe it or not, Kirk and I...

"Kirk and you? Is there something I should know about?" Luke smirked and brushed a curl of hair behind her ear.

"Ha-ha. Very funny." She slapped him playfully on his chest before she continued. "We had a very... interesting conversation. Hey, did you know about his family situation? Well, I do now. I know _everything_. I when I say everything, I mean everything. Ask me something, I'm sure I know the answer."

"Uhm, no thanks. I'm not very interested." Luke laughed and shook his head. Somehow he was relieved that Kirk sat next to Lorelai when he came into his Diner because so he was bugging someone else than him. But since it was Lorelai who Kirk felt the sudden urge to pour out his heart to, he felt kinda sorry for her. God knows that conversations with Kirk are anything but easy.

"Well then." Lorelai shrugged, trying to hide a grin.

"I'm sorry we couldn't do something together today but I feel kinda bad to ask Pete to jump in for me all the time, you know?"

"That's okay. I had my fun." She gave him a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, we covered the _'Kirk part'_ already."

"God, you're so obsessed with Kirk today, aren't you?" She flashed him a toothy grin. "But actually I wasn't talking about _that_ right now."

"No? Well, let me think. Maybe it was the _'let's throw napkin balls at Luke part'_. True, this made me cracking up myself too."

"I told you I failed my target. They were supposed to land in the mug next to the coffee maker." She giggled, thinking about Luke's cursing when the small balls hit his forehead.

"Sure. But I can't serve food with napkin balls in it, you know? Besides, they landed everywhere around here. _Everywhere_." Luke gestured around with his hands.

"I helped you to clean it up. Am I forgiven then?" She looked at him, tilting her head to one side, her lips forming her famous 'Lorelai pout'.

Sighing, Luke couldn't help himself but smile. "Why would I do that?"

"Forgive me? Well, because I'm your pretty girlfriend. That's why." She slipped her arms around his neck.

"So you think that's a reason, huh?"

"Yes." She gave him a grin.

"I'm still not sure yet." Luke shrugged, his eyes focused so intently on hers.

Slowly, Lorelai pulled him down and started to nibble on his bottom lip while she was playing with his hair on the back of his head. She knew this was driving him crazy.

"Well..."

"Hm?" She stopped and eased back to look at him. "Did you say something?"

"You know, this Friday was definitely not _that_ bad." Luke gave her a small smile, his arms rested around her waist.

"And it's not over yet. What do you think about going to my place and watching TV or we could..." She stopped when she saw Luke's tired face. "Though we don't have to. I mean, if you..."

"No. Sounds good."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"You look pretty exhausted. You sure you just don't wanna head upstairs and into bed?"

"No, I'm good. Really."

"Okay." Lorelai smiled, playing with the little curls which were sticking out from under his baseball cap. "Heeeey Luke?"

"Hm?"

"Can we take some pie with us?" She looked at him with puppy eyes.

He tilted his head, their eyes still locked. He couldn't believe that Lorelai didn't already weigh 200 pounds, considering the big amount of food she was able to eat all the time.

Smiling, he responded. "You just had a burger with fries."

"That was an hour ago. I'm used to having desert, you know?"

Hesitantly, Luke shook his head grinning. "You're unbelievable. Okay, what pie?"

"Uhm, apple pie."

"Okay, might be some left. Something else?" When he noticed that her eyes were wandering to the coffee maker, he immediately added. "Except coffee."

Lorelai sighed and slipped off the stool. "Spoilsport."

* * *

Arriving at home, Lorelai was relieved that Rory wasn't there yet. It meant that she still had some alone time with Luke. Smiling, she closed the door and slipped out of her jacket before she headed into the kitchen. "You want a beer?"

"No, water is fine." Luke told her as he walked into the living room where he plopped on the sofa with an exhausted sigh. Reaching for the remote, he turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, groaning when he didn't find something good.

After a minute, Lorelai joined him, balancing a plate with apple pie and a bottle of water. "And? Did you find something?"

"Nothing but a lot of crap." Luke muttered, his eyes fixed on the television while he zapped from one channel to the other.

"Not possible." She put the plate down next to her and snatched the remote out of Luke's hand. "What are you in the mood for?"

He just shrugged and spread his arms on the back of the sofa. "Whatever you want."

"Yeah? Okay." Zapping through the channels, she suddenly stopped when the screen showed some celebrities walking over a red carpet. "Yes, that's good. I love watching those things and criticise celebrities. It's fun."

"Well, then."

Tugging her feet up on the sofa, she snuggled closer to Luke, turning a little so that she could lean back against his chest. "You want some?" Lorelai asked as she started to eat her pie.

"No, thanks." He breathed out heavily and tilted his head so that it rested on the back of the sofa.

"Good answer. More for me." Lorelai replied with her mouth full of pie.

Luke laughed before he stifled a yawn. "Don't tell me you're going to eat the whole pie."

"Wait and see."

Shaking his head, Luke turned back to the television where celebrities pranced over the red carpet and posing for the camera like if they'd own the whole world. Stupid, arrogant rich people. Luke thought frowning. A world he'd never be able to understand. Why would he?

Lorelai shoved another bite of pie into her mouth, her eyes still settled on the TV. "Oh god, do you see that blonde over there? Look at what she is wearing. Isn't it obvious that this dress should at least be two sizes bigger?"

"Yeah." Luke answered sleepily, already fighting to keep his eyes open.

"God, seriously. What's this with those people? Do they not have a fashion consultant or something like that? You should look decent when you go to events like that." She paused for a moment to finish her pie. After she put the plate away, she leaned back again, resting her head on Luke's chest. "I mean, there are cameras and everything."

"Hm." Luke had already closed his eyes, not paying attention on what was going on anymore. _Just a few minutes_, he told himself while he continued to listen what Lorelai was ranting about.

A few minutes later, Lorelai started again. "Wow, I like that dress. Pretty. Do you think she's pretty?" When she didn't get an answer, she tilted her head up and found Luke's eyes closed. She added whispering. "Luke?"

But Luke was already asleep, his breathing slow and steady.

She smiled and continued to watch the show for a few more minutes before the front door burst open and Rory came in.

"Mom?"

"Ssshh." Lorelai motioned for her daughter to be silent as she carefully rose from the sofa and walked into the kitchen with Rory following her.

She grabbed the last piece of pie and joined her daughter at the table. "So, how was Dinner?"

"Yeah, that's what I want to talk to you about."

Lorelai looked up at her daughter, frowning slightly. "Uh, you look serious. Was it that bad?"

"This is not the time for jokes, mom." Rory leaned forward, her eyes still fixed on her mother. "You have _no idea_ what happened today."

"How could I when you're not telling me."

Rory hesitated a moment before she blurted out. "Grandma's not going to pay for Chilton anymore."

Choking on her pie, Lorelai lifted her head. "Sorry, I just thought you said that she's not going to pay for your school anymore."

"Well yeah. You heard that right, mom."

Lorelai put her fork down, looking at her daughter in disbelieve. "What? But how? How can she do this? We're having a contract."

"Yes we _do __have_ a contract but Grandma told me that since you're not attending to Friday night dinner anymore, it's obvious that…"

"Noo…" Lorelai stood up and immediately lowered her voice again, when she remembered that Luke was sleeping in the living room. "No. This isn't right. She can't do something like that just because we had a fight last week."

"No, but because you're not coming to Dinner anymore."

"But this has nothing to do with you. She shouldn't take this out on you. This isn't fair." Lorelai threw her hands in the air. "This is her way to make me come back."

"Mom."

"I mean, what is better than threatening me with not paying for Chilton anymore?" She paused for a moment. "What did Grandpa say to all of this?"

"He wasn't there. Grandma said he is on a business trip in London ."

"Sure this has Emily Gilmore's handprints all over it. Richard would never do something like that. You know how important it is for him that you're going to college one day. And you need this stupid school for this." Lorelai pointed out and started to pace.

Rory watched her mother. "What are we going to do now?"

"This isn't over yet. I'm going to talk to her. I will ask her if she doesn't have the slightest bit of a conscience, refusing to give you the money. _And_ I will talk to your grandpa. He won't let this happen either." Lorelai took a deep breath, telling herself to calm down. "You're not dropping out of Chilton. I promise. I'll find a way."

"Maybe you and grandma can reconcile." Rory suggested carefully.

"Rory." Lorelai shook her head. "I'm not even able to _pretend_ to have a good relationship with your grandma because it just wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"Because she can't respect _me_ or anything I did in my life. Nothing. Not even..." She lowered her voice. "Not even _Luke_."

"What?" Rory's eyes widened. "How do you know? Did she say that?"

"No, of course she didn't say anything directly _bad_ about him. She's too well educated for this."

"Then how do you know?"

"Well, Luke was here when she came by last week and she caught us in an... awkward situation."

"Oh my god."

"No. Not what you're thinking. I was wearing Luke's shirt when I opened the door and Luke came downstairs - topless of course because he couldn't find his shirt. That was how Emily found us. Then she made some very nice remarks and..." Lorelai sighed and grabbed the back of the chair.

"Maybe she was just a little angry because you didn't tell her earlier."

"About me and Luke? Yes, of course. Because usually our relationship is _so_ good that I tell her everything immediately." Lorelai deadpanned and rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"Okay, you might have a point here."

"Why isn't it possible that my mother is happy for me whenever _I'm_ happy? And I'm happy now. With Luke. I really am."

"I know." Rory smiled and walked over to her mother to give her a big hug. "And I'm so happy for you two, I told you that. Right?"

"Yes." Lorelai pulled back and turned to look over to the living room where Luke was still sleeping on the sofa. "It's late and... Would it be okay if Luke stays over night?"

"Uhm, yeah sure. Why not?"

"Because it's against the rules. Remember. _My_ rules. No men in the house. And Luke is a man, I can definitely say that."

Rory gave her mother a smile. "Then maybe it's time to change the rules, what do you think?"

"I'd really like that." Lorelai nodded, grinning. "Thanks, hun."

"You're welcome. I'm going to bed now. Night, mom."

"Night."

Lorelai waited until her daughter closed the door of her room before she walked back into the living room where Luke was still asleep on the sofa. She stopped in the doorway to watch him for a moment. How he was half sitting, half lying there - totally exhausted from the day.

_ What would she do without him in her life?_

Immediately, she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and walked over to wake him up.

"Luke." She whispered softly.

"Hm?" Luke mumbled and turned his head in her direction without opening his eyes.

"Baby, get up." She whispered again and gave him a small kiss on his cheek.

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times before he glanced at his watch. Then he mumbled. "Yeah, it's late. Gotta get back to the Diner."

"No, you don't. Let's just go upstairs." Lorelai reached for his hand and pulled him up. "C'mon."

"It's almost midnight . I should go back to my place." Luke rose from the sofa and stifled a yawn as he stretched his arms.

"I want you to stay." She gave him a smile and dragged him over to the staircase. "My bed is closer than yours."

"But what about Rory? She's home yet, isn't she?" He gave her a confused look while they walked upstairs to Lorelai's room.

"Yes and she said it's okay."

Upstairs in Lorelai's room, she locked the door and turned to Luke who was standing in the middle of her room.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep but I was just so damn tired." Luke said as he slipped out of his shoes and started to unbutton his shirt.

"Yeah, I figured." She gave him a small smile and started to undress too. She changed into a spaghetti strap shirt and sweat pants and crawled into bed, waiting for Luke to join her.

As he slipped in behind her, he pulled her close so that her back was resting against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he started to place soft light kisses on her bare shoulder. "Night."

"Yeah, good night." Lorelai whispered back before she let out a deep sigh. She was still thinking about what Rory told her earlier. About the fight with grandma, about the money, Rory's school...

_ God, what am I going to do?_

She felt a single tear falling down her cheek which she immediately wiped away.

When Luke noticed that she was still awake, he softly started to speak. "Hey."

"Hey." She whispered back without turning to look at him. She just took his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just not really tired. That's all." Lorelai told him in a raspy voice.

"Not tired? It's almost midnight ." He paused for a moment. "Don't tell me you drank coffee when I was asleep. That's what caffeine does to you. It won't let you sleep. I always tell you that, don't I?" Luke whispered close to her ear. He waited for a sarcastic remark but when he didn't get one, he continued. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Lorelai just sighed.

He softly cupped her chin and turned her head to made her look at him. "C'mon, tell me."

Rolling onto her back, she felt Luke's fingers gently brushing up and down her arms while his eyes were holding her gaze. "I'm just thinking about some things."

"Some things?" Luke lifted a brow. "Like what?"

"Yeah, like if I'll ever find matching shoes to my light blue summer dress or how I'll manage to gather enough money for Rory's school so that she won't drop out at the end of the month or ... or if Michel was right when he told me that we need a new software program for our reservations because our old one is _so_ out of time. We're always losing reservations because of it and then we have to deal with all those angry guests which is..."

"What?" Luke stopped her in the middle of her rant. "Wait. What was this thing about the money?"

"Emily Gilmore seems to be a little pissed off because of the fact that I won't come to Dinner anymore, that she told Rory she won't continue to pay for Chilton."

Luke's eyes grew wide and he was clearly in a loss of words. "That's... woah, okay. This is... " He propped his head on his left hand and took a deep breath.

"Unbelievable." Lorelai finished for him. "I mean how can she do this? To her only grandchild? When she promised her to pay, she just can't sneak out of it now."

"This is her way to make you come back. She knows that you won't let it happen that Rory has to drop out of Chilton. And she also knows that you want her to go to Harvard one day."

"I know." Lorelai let out a sigh before she searched Luke's eyes again. "I can't do this. I don't want her to control my life anymore. That everything has to be done her way. I don't want this."

"We have to find another way." Luke's eyes narrowed together in concentration before he added. "I can lend you the money."

"What? No..."

"Look, it'd be no problem. I have enough on the safe side and I really want to do it." Luke told her whispering.

But Lorelai just shook her head. "This is not an option. I won't let you pay for Rory's school, Luke."

"Why not?"

"Because... because it could take _years_ until I'm able to pay it back. You have no idea how expensive private schools are."

"I want to help you, Lorelai."

"This is insane." Lorelai stared at Luke before she added whispering. "And so incredible sweet but..."

Luke put a finger on her lips to stop her from talking. "Just promise me to think about it. Please."

"Yeah, okay." She whispered and when she snuggled against his chest, she felt Luke's arms wrapping around her, holding her close.

"Thank you." Luke kissed her forehead before he rested his head back on the pillow.

They were lying there for a few minutes while Lorelai was thinking about Luke's offer. He was always there for her, whenever she needed him. And she wasn't even sure if she deserved him. She never had someone like him in her life before. Someone she was able to tell everything and trust unconditionally. And she was quite sure this feeling was mutual.

Sighing, she rested her cheek against his chest, her voice just above a whisper. "I love you."

And with that she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep like Luke already did a few minutes ago.

* * *

**To be continued... **

_And please leave me a review. Thanks! ) _

_Ps: Ideas are always welcome!_


	19. Chapter 19

_OMG, I'm so sorry it took me so long for this chapter. Bad bad me. But now I'm back._

This chapter is **M rated**, just to warn you. Some people wanted me to write something like that. And here you have it. Hehe:D 

* * *

**Chapter 19 **

Luke woke up in Lorelai's bed early next morning. Glancing over to the window, he noticed that it was still dark outside and with one look to the alarm clock he realized that it was 5 o'clock in the morning. After all those years of getting up early, he wasn't even in the need of an alarm clock anymore. He was so used to the fact that he has early deliveries almost everyday, that he developed an inner clock that made him wake up the same time, every day. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

Breathing in, his eyes fell on Lorelai who was lying next to him on her back, arms above her head, eyes focused on the ceiling above her.

"Hey." Luke whispered softly and made her turn to look at him.

"Hey."

"You're awake?" He turned to his side and propped his head on his fist.

"Yeah."

"Why? You _do_ know that's in the middle of the night. Well, almost." He chuckled slightly and made her smile.

"I know. I just… I just couldn't sleep anymore."

"Okay. And why?"

" Lot of thinking, I guess."

"About what?" Gently, he brushed a curl out of her face and took in the silhouette of her body in the semi dark bedroom.

Hesitantly, she turned to her side, facing him. Her eyes meeting his. "Nothing important."

He knew it wasn't true but he accepted when she wasn't ready to talk about it. At least not that early in the morning. So he just nodded and gave her a small smile.

"You have to get up?" Lorelai asked sadly, cupping his cheek softly.

"Unfortunately, yeah." He moved closer to give her a gentle kiss. When he eased back, he added. "I'll grab a shower before I go. Is that okay?"

"Sure." She pressed her lips against his one more time before she let him slip out of bed.

"Try to get some more sleep, okay?"

"Yeah." She snuggled into Luke's pillow, taking in his scent while she was watching Luke gathering his clothes from the floor.

"Do I see you later at the Diner?"

"Only if I get some coffee."

"I'll think about it." With the pile of clothes in his arms, he walked to the door. "So, see you later then."

"Yeah. Later." Lorelai gave him a small smile before she watched him leave the room.

* * *

A few minutes later, Luke stood above the sink, brushing his teeth. He was glad that there was a second bathroom upstairs next to Lorelai's room because it would have been weird to pump into Rory, only wearing his boxer shorts. Though he knew that Rory was happy for her mother and her relationship with him but there was no need to conjure some embarrassing situations between them. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Lorelai peeked inside.

"Lorelai." Luke said after he rinsed his mouth out with some water.

"I don't know what to do." She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"To do… what?" He looked at her confused and made a step towards her.

"I don't know what's the right thing to do. I mean, I was thinking about calling my mother and talking to her about everything but I just can't. This would lead to another nasty conversation or fight, or whatever you want it to call. And I certainly don't want that. Again."

"Well…" Luke started but Lorelai continued.

"But on the other hand, just because _my_ relationship with my parents is far from good, doesn't mean that it has to be the same with Rory. She always likes to go to her grandparents. She just loves her grandfather because she is _so_ much like him. The intelligence, the books… just everything, you know? And I don't wanna be the reason that this might be over. They would tell me that it's my fault. Not that I'd care about it because they always tell me that it's my fault but… you know… I…" Sighing, she threw her hands in the air. "God damn it."

"It wouldn't be your fault because your mother put you in this situation in the first place."

"But it makes me _feel_ like if it's my fault and that was her intention. I know that."

"Do you think your father knows about all this?"

"No. Maybe." Sighing, she shrugged. "I don't know. Does it really matter?"

"Yes. What if you'll talk to him first?"

"Why?"

"Well, maybe he can talk to your mother and tell her that she's acting ridiculous about all this. You're old enough to decide whether or not you're coming to Dinner. And what's this all about anyway? How does it feel for them that they make you come just because they're paying for Rory's school?"

"That's part of the contract we have. Or had."

"I know, I know. But this is just insane. They're bribing their own daughter. I mean, if _I_ would have a daughter, just hypothetically, I want her to visit me because she wants to see me, not because I force her to."

"But you wouldn't do anything to scare her away. She wouldn't have a reason for not coming for a visit. And the most important thing, you would love her with all your heart, right?" Lorelai tilted her head and smiled.

"I…" He looked down to the floor before he met her eyes again. "Of course I would."

"See. And that's the point."

"Your parents love you too."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. You'd need a heart to love someone and my mother's heart is cold as ice. Literally." She shook her head, one hand on her hip.

"Lorelai."

"And even _if_, they are having a weird way to show that, don't you think? My father is barely talking to me and my mother… well, is my mother with all her pride and glory. Believe me, if it wouldn't be for Rory, I'd cut them off."

"But you can't."

"I know that." Lorelai's eyes still held Luke's while she was nibbling on her lower lip.

"You remember my offer, right?" Luke started after a few seconds of silence.

"So you were serious yesterday?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. Maybe because it's a lot of money we're talking about." Lorelai looked at him, slightly narrowing her eyes.

"Lorelai, I wouldn't have offered you my help if I'd be concerned about this. Believe me."

"Okay."

He smiled and reached for her hand. "So, once again. My offer is still standing."

Lorelai nodded, squeezing his hand. Then she whispered. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Suddenly, her face broke into a grin.

"What?"

"I'm just trying to picture my mother's face when I tell her that you're paying for Rory's school."

"Ah geez. Maybe it'd be better if you don't tell her."

"Probably."

"So, does that mean you…"

Lorelai shook her head. "Just give me a little more time."

"Sure."

"And I want us to, you know, write something down. Some kind of contract where we adjust all repayment things, like the schedule and the amount of money I pay you back each month because I have to pay installments. I can't pay back everything at once."

"It doesn't matter. Pay it back however and whenever you want." Luke told her nodding, a smile on his face.

"And there'll be interests."

Luke shook his head. "No, there won't."

"Yes, there will. Because it might take some time until I gather everything together."

"I told you it doesn't matter. Seriously. I mean that."

"But I..."

"Lorelai." Luke said in a serious voice.

Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You must really care about her."

"I care about _both_ of you." Luke grabbed her waist and pulled her close. "A lot."

Smiling, she ran her fingers through his hair. "I figured." She paused for a moment before she continued. "Luke?"

"Yes?"

She looked at him. "Wow, I was just thinking... what if I wouldn't have left my parents? Or if I wouldn't have followed the sign to Stars Hollow. There was this other town a few miles away I actually was looking for but somehow I took the wrong exit and... there would have been no Luke's in the other town, right? No Diner. No coffee. No Luke. No _us_."

"But it's not like that." Luke interrupted her, smiling. "I'm glad you took the wrong exit."

"Believe me. Me too." She leaned in and brushed her mouth over his while her fingers ran through the small curls on the back of his head.

_She always tastes so sweet_, Luke thought and deepened the kiss. His fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt, dancing over the soft skin on her back. Slowly. Skilfully.

Lorelai sighed when she felt Luke's warm hands touching her. She immediately cupped his face with both of her hands and moaned against is mouth, sliding her tongue over his bottom lip, ever so slowly.

Luke's hands kneaded her back, his voice low and breathy. "Lorelai."

"Yeah baby?" Lorelai whispered against his lips. She slowly opened her eyes, looking at him. They were dark with desire.

"God, you're the best thing that ever happened to me." His head dipped lower when he started to kiss her neck right behind her ear. He knew she loved that.

Feeling like in heaven, Lorelai caught Luke's head, holding him to her, letting him know much she liked it. Moaning, she grabbed his shoulders and turned her head to the side, allowing him better access for what he was doing. When she opened her eyes, she saw them both in the mirror. Their bodies pressed against each other, as close as possible.

The reflection of Luke's strong arms embracing her, made her moan once again. She ran her hands over his bare back before she whispered into his ear. "Take off my shirt."

Luke stopped nibbling on the skin of her neck when he eased back, just enough to look at her. "You sure?"

Lorelai nodded and felt her heart pounding against her chest. Watching his large hands grabbing her shirt, she slowly lifted her arms and closed her eyes. One second later, it landed on the floor behind her. When she opened her eyes again, she felt Luke's hands touching her bare waist, sliding a single finger up the side of her body, brushing just over the sides of her breast. All the time following the trace with his eyes.

"God, you're so beautiful."

Lorelai inhaled sharply and Luke felt her tremble under his touch. Smiling, she looked at him, reaching out to lay her palm on his bare chest, where she felt his heart pounding against his ribs.

"I love the way you're touching me, Luke." Lorelai whispered and leaned forward to place small kisses over his heart.

"Good because I love touching you."

She lifted her head and smiled. "Good." She waited a heartbeat before she continued, sliding a finger over Luke's shoulders and down his arms. "What about your shower?"

He loosened the band out of Lorelai's hair, so that her curls fell over her shoulders, framing her beautiful face. "Right. I knew there was something I wanted to do. But I got distracted somehow."

"Yeah? Oh poor thing. How could this happen?" She smiled back at him while she stepped out of her pants and underwear.

"I..." Luke swallowed. " I don't know. You tell me."

"I can tell you one thing. Get rid of those boxer shorts and lets take a shower." Lorelai grinned and reached behind her to lock the door. "What are you waiting for?"

"You serious? What about Rory?"

"She's downstairs. Deep asleep. She won't hear us."

"You don't know if she's asleep."

"Believe me, it's Saturday and not even six. She'll sleep like a baby." Lorelai grinned and motioned for Luke to slip out of his shorts as she walked over to the shower, adjusting the water to the right temperature. Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him with her under the stream of water.

"It's always nice to take a shower with you mister." Lorelai grinned and brushed her wet hair out of her face.

"Same goes." Luke reached forward and grabbed her waist, pulling her close. He wanted to feel her body against his.

"I can tell." She said grinning, still looking at him.

Both hesitated a moment, before they clung to each other. Looping her arms around Luke's neck, Lorelai immediately locked her lips with his. Her ears were ringing at the intensity of their kiss. It was hot and lingering and neither of them wanted it to end any time soon. They were breathing heavily.

"Oh god." Luke moaned and pressed her against the wall, hot water splashing onto his back while Lorelai's fingers tangled in his hair, holding him close.

A bottle of shampoo fell on the floor but they didn't care. They didn't notice.

"I want..." Lorelai breathed against his mouth, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"I know." Luke stroked his left hand down her body while he was watching her face. He felt her tremble beneath his fingers and lifted one of her legs up and around his waist. "Hold onto me."

Nodding, she smiled and grabbed Luke's shoulders, holding onto him like he told her. And when he sank into her, she caught her breath. Held it. All the time looking into Luke's eyes.

They didn't move for a few moments, just enjoying the connection they just made. And when Luke's hot mouth found hers, they started to move. Slowly first. Moving together as one while Lorelai slightly stroked his back with her nails.

Hot water was still splashing onto them and the walls of the glass got steamed from the heat inside the shower.

Their tongues duelled, hands wandered and soft moans escaped both of them.

"Up." Luke whispered against her mouth and waited until Lorelai wrapped both of her legs around his hips. This made him go deeper and Lorelai felt her eyes roll back into her head.

Though both of them wanted it to last forever, they knew they were close.

With one hand flat on the shower wall and his other around Lorelai's waist, Luke moaned. "Lorelai."

All his concentration was to give her pleasure. And more.

And that was all she needed. Hearing Luke saying her name, the way he did.

He watched her lips part in a silent cry and felt her muscles clench around him.

This was the moment, both of them stumbled over the edge.

Together.

Lorelai still clung to him when they waited to catch their breaths. Holding her waist, Luke buried his face in her hair, bathing in the aftermath of another pleasurable moment with Lorelai Gilmore.

And all Luke could think of was...

_I love you_.

A few moments later, when their heartbeats slowed down, Luke eased back to look at her, noticing the satisfied smile on her face.

"Hi."

"Hey." He chuckled and slowly let her feet back down on the floor.

"What a way to start a day."

"And I'm going to be late. Thanks." Luke grinned and brushed some water drops off her cheek.

"You're welcome." She giggled and picked up the bottle of shampoo that fell on the floor earlier. "These are the risks of taking a shower with me. Sorry, should have warned you."

"Ah well. Those are risks I'm gladly willing to take." He smiled back and took the bottle of shampoo out of her hands.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_Please let me know what you think and leave me a review. ) Thanks! _


	20. Chapter 20

** Chapter 20**

"Mom?"

Ignoring her daughter, Lorelai just groaned and turned to the side, throwing the blanket over her head as if this would save her from that disturbing person who was trying to wake her up.

"Time to get up, sleepyhead." Rory said in an unbelievable good mood for a Saturday morning.

Nope, this wasn't helping at all. Why was it that she wasn't even allowed to sleep in late on weekends? Weekends, for god's sake. Groaning again, Lorelai peeked out from under the blanket and found her daughter sitting on her bed, giving her a cheeky grin.

"I can't let you sleep the whole day."

Frowning, Lorelai lifted her head and blinked at the alarm clock on her nightstand. "Are you kidding? It's just nine."

"So?"

"You woke me up at _nine_? On a _weekend_."

Rory nodded grinning. "It would be wrong to let you sleep that long since it's such a beautiful day. Besides, Luke called."

"Yeah, that's nice Rory. Really. But that's no reason to wake me up." Lorelai sighed and rolled to her side, closing her eyes and hoping she would be able to drift back to sleep again.

"It was. He told me to bring you this." Rory said, waiting. But when Lorelai didn't show a sign to open her eyes, she continued. "Coffee. Hot. Black. All for you."

Groaning, Lorelai turned around, her eyes focusing the cup of coffee in her daughters hands. Coffee is good. Very good. "Evil."

"You want that?"

Rubbing her eyes, Lorelai sat up and reached for the cup.

"Nah. What do you say?"

"Gimme." And when Rory just looked at her, she rolled her eyes and added grinning. "Please."

"Good kid. There you go." Rory handed her the coffee and watched her when she took a deep gulp. "Sooo. You've been up before?"

"Huh?"

"You're wearing your bathrobe."

Lorelai looked down at herself and took another sip.

"And your hair is all wet. You've been up before."

"Yeah. I was just, you know, taking a shower." Lorelai immediately looked away, averting her daughter's gaze.

"When?"

"Hm?"

"When did you take a shower. I didn't hear anything."

"You must have been asleep. It was, uhm, early."

"Early? Since when you're up early on weekends?"

"I couldn't sleep anymore, so I got up and took a shower."

"Uh-huh." Rory paused for a moment and looked at her mother suspiciously. Then she added. "Oh, you were up when Luke... ah, you took... oh... yeah, I see."

"Yeah, but it's not what you're thinking. He was just..." She noticed Rory's expression and frowned. "What?"

"Nothing." Rory shook her head, raising her eyebrows.

"Rory. It's not..." Lorelai's face flushed when she pondered for an answer.

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm sorry I let Luke sleep here over night. I didn't think... I mean, we never had men in the house."

"Actually we had. There was Max."

Lorelai swallowed and looked down at the cup she was holding. "Yeah okay. There was Max but he was my fiancé."

"I had no problem with him but _you_, remember? You couldn't sleep when he was staying over night."

She laughed when the memories of that specific night rushed back into her mind. When she walked over into her daughters room, begging her to let her sleep in her bed. "Yes, that was weird."

"Who are you telling this." Rory answered, rolling her eyes.

"I don't know what... I mean, Max wasn't the reason that... he was just... I couldn't even..." Lorelai fumbled for an explanation in her head.

"It's okay Mom. It happened and it's over now anyway."

"Yeah, it is."

"And you don't have the same problem with Luke staying over night?" Rory asked carefully, looking at her mother.

Shaking her head, Lorelai gave her daughter a warm smile. "No. Not at all."

"That's good."

"Yes it is though it won't happen again. I promise." Lorelai said, biting her lower lip.

"What?"

"That Luke's staying over night. It won't happen again."

"What? Why?" Rory raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"Because it's not right. I made the rules which means, we have to live with the rules. There were reasons I made them." Lorelai explained, playing with strands over her still wet hair.

"You made them when I was little. Things change. They _have _changed actually. And I'm not a baby anymore."

"No, you're not but still..." Lorelai raised her shoulders and let them fall again, drawing out a breath.

"This is ridiculous."

"No it's not. Your grandmother would probably freak out if she knew that I'd let a man sleep in the house."

"Since when you care what grandma is thinking?"

"Since..." Lorelai paused and looked at her daughter. "Look, it's just weird. That's all."

"But I told you, it's okay. Mom, really. It's time to change the rules, okay? It's okay if you want Luke around the house and it's okay if he's staying over night. And as long you're doing, well, what you're doing _upstairs_, I don't care. Seriously. I certainly don't want you to abandon your love life just because of me."

"I don't believe this. My 17 year old daughter is worried about my love life." Lorelai shook her head, laughing. "But I appreciate that."

"You're welcome." Rory said grinning.

"Rules has been changed then." Lorelai nodded seriously.

"Yes."

"But it doesn't mean that Dean... you know." Lorelai gestured with her hands while she fumbled for words.

"What? Oh no, of course not." Rory gasped until her face broke into a grin again. "Just Luke."

"Just Luke." Lorelai repeated smiling back at her daughter. "Thanks hun."

"So..." After a moment, Rory started again, playing nervously with her fingers. "Did you think about what grandma told me yesterday?"

_ Ah yes, she almost forgot about that_ . Lorelai sighed and leaned back against the headboard of her bed. "I did. Yes."

"Okay." Rory waited and when Lorelai didn't continue, she added. "And?"

Taking a deep breath, Lorelai started. "Rory look, it's not that easy okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about that your grandmother wants me to apologize and I certainly won't do that. Besides, it wouldn't change anything."

"Of course. She'd continue to pay for Chilton. Mom, this school is important for me."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Lorelai frowned. "But this whole thing isn't easy for me either. You have to understand that."

"Okay, sorry." Rory looked down. "It's just, I don't wanna change school again."

"Hey, look at me. Do you think I'd let this happen? Of course not. I want you to go to Chilton, with or without Emily Gilmore's money."

"But you don't have the money yourself, so we need grandma for this."

"Let me do this, okay?" Lorelai threw the covers aside and climbed out of the bed. "Just let me do this."

"What does that mean?" She looked at her mother, worryingly. "God, you do not plan to raise a mortgage on our house, do you? Because I don't want that."

Lorelai yanked some clothes out of her closed before she turned back to her daughter. "No."

"Honestly?"

"Yes." She gave her a small smile and added. "And now get dressed. We're going to Luke's for breakfast."

"Why did I know that." Rory answered with a laugh and left the room.

* * *

They walked into the Diner an hour later and headed straight to the counter where they sat down and waited for Luke to take their order. But the Diner owner himself was having a heating conversation with Tayler, like almost every day.

" Taylor , no." Luke said once again while he stood there, arms crossed above his chest, giving Taylor a fretful look.

"Luke, I don't ask you to participate because, god knows, it would be in vain. I just want you to give your agreement that we can decorate the front of your Diner. Flowers week is coming up and the whole town is going to be decorated."

"I'm not sure which part of my answer you didn't understand, so I'll repeat myself. I don't want any flowers in _or _outside my Diner, as well as signs, billboards or god knows what. Period."

"Wow." Rory whispered into Lorelai's ear. "Do you see the blood vessel on Luke's forehead? It's about to explode or something."

"Oh yeah. He's _so _pissed off right now." Lorelai said, propping her head on her palms and watching her boyfriend with admiration. Then she added whispering. "Gotta love that man."

Taylor exhaled deeply. "This is unbelievable."

"Yes, it is." Luke responded, rolling his eyes. "I'm not even sure why I'm having this conversation with you."

"No. _You're _unbelievable, Luke. You and your stubbornness. I few flowers certainly won't kill you."

"And it won't kill _you_, if there aren't any flowers on this particular spot when you have the whole goddamn town decorated anyway."

"Okay, this conversation is heading nowhere."

"Glad you finally got that." Luke answered and pulled out his order pad, turning away from him.

Frowning, Taylor let out a sigh and finally noticed Lorelai sitting on the counter. "Lorelai. How can you have a relationship with this man? He's giving me grey hair every time we're having a conversation."

Just when Lorelai opened her mouth, Luke threw in. "Don't answer him."

"But I just wanted to point out some good things about you." Lorelai grinned, biting her lower lip. "You certainly have some, that's for sure."

"Lorelai."

Taylor looked from Lorelai to Luke and cleared his throat. "Uh, well, I'll come back later."

"Wise decision but do everyone a favour and don't come back _at all_." Luke called after him and exhaled deeply when Taylor left. "Finally."

"I don't believe this." Lorelai started, slightly frowning at Luke.

"What?"

"What just happened here."

"Lorelai, he wanted me to..."

"You started off a fight with Taylor and I missed the beginning. You know how I love watching a fight between the two of you." She grinned and saw Luke's face relax.

"See. I told you to get out of bed earlier." Rory threw in and made Lorelai laugh.

"Funny."

Rory smirked and when she looked at her watch, she slipped off her stool.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To Lane's. There's something important she wanted to tell me."

"Girl talk?"

"Girl talk." Rory nodded and grabbed the coffee, Luke just handed her. "Thanks."

"On the house."

Rory smiled and left the Diner, leaving them both alone.

"You don't have to do this." Lorelai started after a while and Luke lifted his head to look at her.

"Do what?"

"To curry favor with Rory. There's no reason you have to do that because she already loves you." Lorelai told him with a smile.

"I don't..." Luke blinked a few times before he sighed.

"Sure mister." Lorelai tapped with her fingers on the counter, watching him with a smile.

"Whatever. What can I get you?" Luke asked, already pouring her a cup of coffee.

Thinking a moment, Lorelai leaned over the counter. "Kiss."

Luke lifted his head, his eyes roaming the Diner and when he noticed that the morning rush was over and they were alone, he gave her a charming smile and met her lips in a gentle kiss.

When Luke pulled apart again, Lorelai's eyes remained close. "Mmmmh. More."

Luke laughed, rolling his eyes but couldn't resist in kissing her again. Deeper and longer. "You free tonight?" He eased back a little.

Meeting his eyes, she smiled. "Yeah, sure. Why?"

"I thought we could do something tonight."

"A date?" Her smile grew wider.

"Yes."

"Sure. I'm free." They looked at each other for a moment before she continued. "I'd like to have chocolate pancakes now."

"On it's way." Luke told her and when he just turned to walk into the kitchen, Lorelai's cell phone went off.

"Oh no. Not yet." Grabbing it, she slipped off her stool and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Lorelai. This is your father."

"Dad?"

Luke stopped and looked over his shoulder, and when Lorelai gestured she'd go outside, he just nodded.

Closing the door behind her, Lorelai bit on her lower lip before she spoke again. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong Lorelai."

"Okay. Good." She stopped and listened.

"Lorelai, I thought... maybe, we could have Dinner tonight."

"Uhm..."

"And talk about things."

"Uhm, I'm not sure if I..."

Richard cut her off. "Just the two of us."

"Oh." Lorelai paused. "What about mom?"

"I told her I'd have a business Dinner tonight and that I won't be home."

"Clever." She took a deep breath and pondered for a moment. "Well, okay. Where?"

"I was thinking about coming to Stars Hollow. We could eat something at this Diner, you obviously spending most of your time at."

"At Luke's?"

"Yes. Luke's. I couldn't remember the name. But yes, let's go to Luke's."

"You sure, you don't wanna go to a restaurant?"

"Your mother never lets me eat a Burger and this is my chance to eat one when she's not around." Richard laughed. "And I thought you'd prefer it anyway."

"I... yes, okay. We'll meet at Luke's then."

"At eight?"

"Eight it is." Lorelai smiled. "Okay, then... bye dad."

"Bye Lorelai."

The call ended and Lorelai still sat at the stairs in front of the Diner, staring at her cell phone.

"Is there something wrong?"

When she heard Luke calling from behind her, she just closed her cell, shaking her head. "No."

Luke stood in the doorway, holding the door open. "Okay, well. You come in? You're pancakes are getting cold."

"Sure." Taking a deep breath, she lifted herself up from the stairs and walked back into the Diner. Sitting down at the counter, she started to eat her pancakes while Luke poured her another cup of coffee. "You know what?"

"No, what?" Luke asked, shaking his head.

"My dad called and asked me to have Dinner with him. To _talk _about some things."

"Oh, okay."

"Yes, without my mother. This is actually a good thing. But...he'll be here at eight." Lorelai slowly added, watching Luke's face.

"At eight? Well, maybe we should cancel our date for tonight and do something tomorrow." Luke lifted his head to look at her. "I'd be okay, really. It's more important that you clear things up with your folks."

"I think this isn't going to be a problem, we still can do something afterwards. But..." She leaned forward a little. "...he'll be _here _at eight."

"Yeah, you said that already." Then he stopped for a second, let her words sink in. "Wait. What do you mean with _here_?"

"At your Diner?" Lorelai said carefully.

"What? You're having dinner with your dad here at my Diner?" Luke propped his palms flat on the counter, frowning slightly.

Lorelai just shrugged. "It was his idea."

Raising an eyebrow, Luke tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, sure."

"I swear."

"He knows what's on the menu? I don't think he's the kind of guy who's going for Burgers and fries." Luke shook his head, watching Lorelai eat her pancakes.

"Believe it or not but seems like he is. Well, not all the time but he said that my mother never lets him eat food like that, so..."

"Ah, I see." Luke sighed, still looking at her. "Okay."

"I'm sorry but good thing is, my dad is easier to handle than my mom. He can be really nice actually." Lorelai grinned, putting a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

"If you say so." His tensed expression changed into a small smile. He still remembered the day when Emily Gilmore found him shirtless in Lorelai's livingroom. Man, this was some weird situation back there.

"But you'll be around, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"When my dad is coming. You'll be here."

"Where else should I be?" Luke asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, I don't know. Since you have Pete... I just... I just want you to be there. Don't leave me alone with my dad. Please." Lorelai begged with a little pout on her face.

"I thought you said that your dad is nice. Somehow." Luke laughed, propping his elbows on the counter and leaning down a little.

"Somehow. Yes. I just want you to be there. That's all." She set the fork down and lifted her head to look at him.

"Sure. I'll be there." He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her.

* * *

_**To be continued... **_

_**I promise there will be more Luke/Lorelai stuff in the next chapter. I just had to do this one! **_

_**And it would be kind if you'd leave me a review. Thanks! ) **_


	21. Chapter 21

_Thanks a lot for everyone who's still reading this story and to all who just started with it. It makes me very happy! ) And again, any suggestions, wishes etc.? Just let me know. Anyway, here's the new chapter. Enjoy! ;)_

* * *

**Chapter 21**

It was slightly before eight when Lorelai jumped out of her car and rushed to the front door of the Diner. Pushing the door open, she didn't pay attention and pumped into someone. Looking up, she noticed Pete grinning back at her.

"Oh, sorry." Lorelai immediately apologized.

"Nothing to be sorry about but why is a beautiful woman like you in such a hurry?" Pete asked, giving her a smile while they both stood in the doorway of the Diner.

Lorelai just laughed at his comment and rolled her eyes. "I'm meeting my dad."

"Your dad?"

"Yeah. Tall, suit… bow tie." Lorelai explain, gesturing with her hand.

"Not here yet."

"Thank god." Lorelai let out a sigh of relief before she gave him a smile.

"Oh well, and here I was thinking that you can't wait to see your boyfriend. Seems I was mistaken then." Pete winked, still smiling.

Narrowing her eyes a little, she studied his face before she answered. "Partly. Partly. Not that it's any of your concern."

"Of course not."

"Good." Lorelai nodded grinning.

"You know..." Pete leaned in a little closer. "...if your _boyfriend_ wouldn't be my boss, I'd ask you out on a date."

"Aw yeah? That's a pity."

"I'd say so myself. But tell me, it's not really clever if I'll try it anyway, right?"

"What? Asking me out?"

Pete just nodded, looking at her with a charming smile.

Lorelai laughed, squinting an eye over Pete's shoulder where she saw Luke watching them from behind the counter. "No, that would be stupid, actually."

"I figured." Pete muttered grinning and paused a little before he added. "But let me know whenever you and Luke... you know..."

Raising an eyebrow, Lorelai grinned and immediately cut him off. "Yeah, uhm... bye, Pete." She pushed herself past him into the Diner and waited for the bells to jingle, which was a sign that Pete was gone. Then she slowly approached the counter and walked around it until she stood next to Luke who was counting bills.

"Hi. I thought I'd be late. Michel wouldn't let me go. Unbelievable. But thank god that there's always some traffic between Hartford and Stars Hollow, so my dad will probably be a little late himself."

"Yep." Luke didn't look up. He just sighed and continued counting.

"So, how was your day? I bet it was as boring as mine, except the few times we talked on the phone. Right? Because these were, without any doubt, the highlights of my day."

"It was as usual." Luke said calmly, his eyes still on the bills in his hands.

"Hey. Is there something wrong?" Lorelai asked, studying his face from the side.

"Nope."

Narrowing her eyes, she lifted Luke's right hand and squeezed herself between the counter and Luke, so that he had no chance but looking at her. "Hi." She gave him a flirtatious smile.

"Lorelai, I was just..."

"I know what you were doing. Ignoring me and I wanna know why." She looked up at his face, tracing a finger along his jaw.

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"Luke, don't deny that you're acting a little weird and I'd appreciate if you'd tell me why." She waited a few seconds. "Luke."

"I really need to finish this off,okay?" Luke tried to reach for the bills again but Lorelai grabbed his arms and wrapped them around her waist.

"What is it?" Lorelai's mouth twitched into a grin. "And don't tell me there's nothing. I can tell when you're lying."

"No, you can't."

"Oh sure, I can."

"No, you..." Luke started again but stopped when he noticed how stupid they both acted.

"Wow. Someone could think we still go to kindergarten." She giggled when she played with the buttons of Luke's shirt.

"You started it."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"Wow, there you go again." She sighed and searched for Luke's eyes. "Luke, did I do something wrong? Is it because of Pete? Don't say you're jealous because of that."

Luke held her eyes for a moment before he looked away.

"Pete and I were just joking. He was just being stupid, that's it."

Hesitantly, Luke replied. "You were flirting."

"We... _what_?"

"Yeah, well let me give you his phone number. So whenever the two of us are having a rough..."

"Luke. What are you talking about?" Lorelai asked seriously. "I don't wanna have his phone number. Could it be that you're slightly overreacting here?"

Luke knew that he just made an idiot out of himself but he couldn't fight it. _Yes, he was jealous._ _Yes. But what the hell?_

He answered sighing. "I'm sorry, I was just… being stupid, I guess."

"Awww, you've been jealous." She smiled. "I think that's cute though."

He gave her the same look he gave her, whenever she used a word like '_cute_' to describe him, but he didn't say anything about that. Instead he continued. "It just brought back some not so great memories. That's it."

"Memories?"

"Yeah."

"What kind of memories?"

_Great Luke. Now you have to explain yourself._ Feeling embarrassment washing over him, he shook his head. "Forget it. Not important."

"Oh Luke, come on. Just tell me, okay?"

Sighing, he gave in. "Well, memories of you, talking and flirting with other men, like Christopher or Max or god knows who... while I was just... your coffee supplier. Nothing more than your good old _friend_." Luke shrugged, shaking his head. "And it made me remember those days when you didn't notice me at all."

"Luke." Lorelai looked at him and didn't know what to say. It wasn't that she didn't notice him back those days because she always had been kind of attracted to him but she never was courageous enough to admit it. Maybe.

Now she knew that her decision was probably wrong.

When Luke noticed her look, he shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry I brought this up."

"Luke, I chose _you_ now. And when I'm with you, then I'm _with__ you_. And let me tell you something." Smiling, she reached up to caress his cheek. "You're definitely wrong when you think that I didn't notice you at all. Very wrong."

"You don't have to say that now to lighten up my mood."

"I'm not saying it to lighten up your mood, mister. It's the truth. But you know what?" Lorelai asked, trailing her fingers over his stubble.

"What?"

"Let's forget about the past, okay?"

"Okay." Luke sighed and looked away, but Lorelai cupped his face and turned it back so that he was directly looking at her.

"Good." She smiled and leaned forward, brushing her warm lips softly against his while her fingers glided down his shoulders and further down his back.

Luke closed his eyes and let himself slide into the kiss, tasting Lorelai's sweet scent when their tongues met, doing their own heating dance. He felt Lorelai's hands travelling down his firm back, where she felt the well-built body that was hiding underneath all his flannel.

Slipping her fingers into the back pockets of his jeans, she pulled him against her body - their groins meeting in a desperate need. Luke pressed her against the counter while his hands glided up and down her back, ever so slowly.

They kissed like this what seemed like forever.

"God, you know what?" Lorelai mumbled against his mouth, not strong enough to break away from him.

"What?" Luke panted heavily. He tried to control himself but it just wouldn't work.

"Why don't you close the Diner and we... "

_ Cough_ !

Luke immediately broke apart, looking at the person who was standing on the other side of the counter. "Oh god, Lorelai…"

"What?" Lorelai looked at Luke in confusion before she realized that they weren't alone anymore. Turning around, she jumped slightly. "Dad."

"Hello Lorelai."

"I… I didn't hear you coming… uh… since when…I mean, you are…" She grabbed Luke's arm to glance at his wristwatch before she continued. "…right on time."

"We did say eight, didn't we?" Richard asked, clearly noticing the uncomfortable situation between them.

"Yes. Yes, we did." Lorelai answered nervously, taking a quick glance at Luke. "Oh uh, Dad… this is Luke. Luke, this is my father."

"Mr. Gilmore. Nice to meet you." Luke reached out to shake his hand. "Though I think we've met before, actually."

"Did we? Where?"

"On Rory's birthday party. Last year."

"You've been there? I'm sorry to say that but I don't remember you at all." Richard told him matter of factly, his gaze shifted between Luke and Lorelai.

"Well then..."

"Dad, why don't we sit down over there?" Lorelai walked around the counter and sat down on one of the tables in the middle of the Diner where Richard joined her.

Luke followed them, order pad in his hands. "Okay, what can I get you?"

"Coffee." Lorelai blurted out, grinning. "_Aaaand_ I think I'm going with the Cheeseburger today, with onion rings and fries. No, make that Chilli fries, please."

"Why did I know that?" Luke mumbled but scribbled it down.

"Hey, I'm your number one customer of all times. No bashing, please."

"I don't bash." He held her gaze, holding back a grin before he turned to Richard. "And you, sir?"

"You shouldn't drink coffee that late, Lorelai." But when she just rolled her eyes, he continued. "A glass of water and…" He paused and studied the menu. "I'm dying for a burger. My wife never lets me eat one."

"Okay, what burger? Hamburger, cheeseburger, the classic burger, turkey burger..."

" Turkey burger?"

"Luke's favourite. He goes for the low-fat and healthy stuff." Lorelai threw in. "But I'm more the classic burger type. Greasy beef, lots of onions and if I can get Luke to leave out all the green stuff, I'm like the happiest woman on earth."

"Ah well, I'll try the classic hamburger then."

"With fries?"

"Uhm no. I'll take a small salad to balance things out. Thanks."

"Good choice." Luke nodded and gave Lorelai a small smile before he turned back behind the counter. That was when the door burst open and Taylor rushed in.

"Luke, good you're still here. I thought we could talk about the flowers again."

"Tayler, what makes you think I've changed my mind? I told you there'll be no flowers and no decorations of whatsoever." Luke said calmly while he filled the coffee maker with decaf. _Well, it was worth a try, wasn't it?_

"But Luke. This festival is important for our town. And your Diner is right in the center, which means, so everybody will notice that it's _not_ decorated."

"So?" Luke lifted his head, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, how does that look like?"

Luke shrugged and continued with what he was doing. _Why is it that this man never takes a 'no' as an answer?_

"This is… this is…" Sighing, he turned around and noticed Lorelai sitting at one of the tables. "Lorelai, you still here?"

Looking up, she narrowed her eyes. "No Taylor. _Again_. I'm here again." Then she muttered to herself. "Not that it's any of your business, you…"

"Lorelai." Richard gave her a warning look and shook his head.

_ God it was like if she was in 5 th grade again. This can't be happening. _

Tayler didn't notice any of this, he was to busy to think about another tactic to get Luke's place decorated. He was the town selectman after all, so people should do what he was telling them. _Yeah, well. Should._

He turned back to Luke and tried it again. "So Luke. What about the flowers?"

"Ah geez." Luke had absolutely no intention of going off in front of Lorelai's dad. This wouldn't make the greatest impression, wouldn't it? "You know what? Let's go outside, okay? Lorelai, I'll be right back." He shoved Taylor out of his Diner and left Lorelai alone with her dad.

Richard watched them leave before he turned back to Lorelai. "Who was that?"

"Oh that was just Taylor Doosey, our town selectman who happens to think that he's very important. " Lorelai giggled when she watched Luke and Taylor having a heating conversation outside the Diner. _Poor Luke_, she thought.

"If you are town selectman then you are an important person, Lorelai. You definitely shouldn't underrate this job. It's a high position where you carry a big amount of responsibility for the tiniest things, involving the town and its residents." Richard told her matter of factly and noticed how Lorelai let out a prolonged sigh. "But let's change the subject now. You probably want to know why I'm here. Well I wanted to…"

Lorelai jumped up from her chair and hurried behind the counter.

Frowning, Richards eyes trailed after after. "What are you doing?"

"You never know how long a conversation with Taylor might take. So I'll get us our drinks."

"Lorelai…"

"It was water for you, right? And coffee for me. Oh god, I need coffee. Right. Now." Grabbing a coffee mug from one of the shelves, she filled it with the black gold she loved so much.

"You don't have to do this, Lorelai."

"I'd make our burgers as well but we all know that me and cooking…" She laughed nervously. "…well, that just wouldn't work. Luke would probably kill me if I burn down his place. So let's put that in his hands. The cooking of course. Not the burning down."

Richard watched his daughter with narrowed his. She was avoiding him. Him and the conversation they were about to have. But that was why he came. He came to make things right again. He just hoped that it was possible.

"Lorelai, why don't you sit with me here?" He patted the chair next to him and gave his daughter a smile.

"Yeah, I was just…" She squinted her eyes at Luke who was still outside and silently pleaded for him to not leave her alone right now. He promised to stay with her. Yes, that might sound childish but it's always safer to have someone with you when you're not in good terms with your parents. Especially _this_ parents. Lorelai thought and breathed out heavily.

_Stupid Tayler._

She grabbed the glass of water and her coffee and slowly walked back to their table where she hesitantly sat down, lifting her head to look at her dad. She forced a smile. "So, here I am."

"Good. That's good." Richard noticed how Lorelai's eyes wandered to Luke from time to time, so he asked the obvious. "So, you and Luke?"

"Hm?" Lorelai lifted the coffee up to her mouth and took a big gulp while she studied her father over the rim of her mug.

_No, he did it again. Decaf. How could he?_

"Is Luke your new… boyfriend?"

She set the mug back on the table. "Uhm, yes but I'm sure you already know that."

"Your mother. Yes. She told me something like that but I thought it'd be nice to hear it from you." He paused. "And is it serious?"

Lorelai frowned before she answered. "What?"

"Is it serious with this, this… Luke? "

"Wow okay, what do you think what kind of woman I am? I think I can already imagine. Thanks a lot, Dad."

"That's not what I meant. Lorelai, I was just asking you a question."

"Well then, I'm giving you a straight answer. Yes. Yes, it's serious with Luke. Why wouldn't it?"

"I don't know. How long are you two together now? I'm sure it's a few months otherwise you wouldn't be so sure that it's _that_ serious."

Lorelai opened her mouth, waited a few seconds. Then she rose from her chair. "Look, if you're here to discuss my relationship with Luke, I'm not interested."

"Lorelai wait. I'm sorry. I'm just asking because of your mother. You know that she has this big dream that you, Rory and Christopher could be…"

"A family one day?" Lorelai finished his sentence. "Been there. Done that. It's not working."

"Maybe you haven't tried enough?"

"Excuse me?" She exhaled deeply. "Look, I don't wanna justify whether or not I'm done with the whole Christopher thing or my relationship with Luke, because, as it happens, it's my business. _Mine_. And if you have a problem with that, or mom, then I'm sorry but I don't care."

"I didn't say that I'm having a problem with Luke, I just wanted to let you know that your mother has this wishful thinking that…" Richard tried to explain, he really didn't wanna set off a fight with his daughter here.

"I got that part, dad. Then my _mother_ has a problem with Luke. Good. Fine. But that's no reason to take it out on Rory." Lorelai told him, still standing and with her hands on her hips.

"Rory? What has Luke to do with Rory?"

"Well, I don't know. Maybe because mom refuses to pay for Chilton anymore? Could that be it?"

"But that's not because of Luke."

"You don't expect me to believe that, don't you? And why are you agreeing with this whole thing anyway? _You_, of all people, wanted Rory to go to college. And now everything seems to slip away because of that. Do you know how devastated she was when she told me about that? She thinks she has to go back to Stars Hollow High again. And this would mean, Harvard _adiós_."

The bells jingled and Luke came back into the Diner. "I'm sorry. I…" He stopped when he saw Lorelai standing, obviously upset. "Is everything okay?"

"Lorelai, sit down and let's handle this situation like grown-ups. I think this should be possible." Richard tried to calm her down.

Looking at the floor, Lorelai let out a sigh. When she lifted her head, she met Luke's eyes. They were telling her that he wouldn't go anywhere again. Taking a deep breath, she threw her hair over her shoulder and sat down again.

_Fine. He wants to talk like grown-ups? He can have that. She doesn't have a problem with that. Not at all. _

"Are you still refusing to pay for Chilton?" Lorelai asked calmly while she played with the mug in front of her.

"Your mother just wants you to come back to Friday night dinner. So, if you're coming back we're through with this whole issue and everybody is happy again." Richard told her and it seemed like if he'd really believed what he was saying.

She hesitated for a moment. _What the hell is he talking about?_ _Happy again?_ Still looking at her coffee, she started to speak. "Fine. Since I don't like this whole _blackmailing thing_ you're trying here, I wanted to let you know that I don't need your money anymore. So this issue _is_ over."

Then there was silence, you could have heard a pin drop. None of them were saying anything.

Richard blinked twice before he spoke. "What does _that_ mean?"

"It means that you can keep your money." She told him nonchalantly. Then she turned to Luke. "Hey baby, I'm starving. What about my burger?"

"I uh… a few minutes."

"Lorelai, this isn't funny." Richard started again, fighting to keep his voice down.

"No, it certainly isn't."

"You came to us because you didn't have the money to pay for Rory's school. What happened? Why do you have it now? Don't tell me you won in the lottery?"

"Maybe I did." Lorelai shrugged and took another sip of her coffee. _Ugh, decaf. How could she forget_?

"Nice payback, Lorelai."

"This isn't payback. I always told you that whenever the time comes I have the money, I _pay_ for Chilton myself. I think this goes without saying."

"But this isn't …" He took a quick look at Luke before he leaned in a little closer and whispered. "Has Luke anything to do with it?"

"What?"

"Did he gave you the money?"

"This isn't important, dad. Point is, I have the money, okay?"

"Lorelai, you can't do this to your mother. She enjoys having both of her girls for dinner every Friday. You can't take this away from her."

"Look, what am I supposed to do? I'm in my mid thirties and I'm old enough to run my own life. I don't need a mother who's trying to control it whenever possible. And she does it, we both know that." She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Maybe she tends to do that." Richard nodded sighing.

"And it doesn't change anything. Rory loves to come to Dinner on Friday. She loves seeing her grandparents. That won't stop. I just hate the fact that _I'm_ forced to come. Forced, dad. I know it was part of the contract but doesn't that seem weird to you as well? I really like to come to Dinner once in a while but of my own free will."

Richard leaned back in his chair, studying his daughter. "Is this your last word?"

Lorelai nodded slowly, biting her lower lip. She squinted her eyes over to the kitchen where Luke was busy with making their burgers.

"God, how do I tell your mother?" He sighed and shoved his hands over his face.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." His serious expression relaxed and his mouth formed a warm smile. "Let me deal with this. She might be upset for the next few weeks but believe it or not, I'm already used to that."

"Thanks, dad." Lorelai smiled back. _God, she did it. And it wasn't that hard, wasn't it? _

"Let me just ask you one more question." Richard leaned forward again. "Does Luke make you happy?" And when he noticed the glint in Lorelai's eyes and the nod she gave him, he smiled. _That was all he wanted. He wanted his daughter to be happy. _

A few seconds later, Luke came back carrying two plates. "Sorry it took me so long. Here are your burgers."

"Mhhh." Lorelai looked up at him and grinned. "Thanks."

Luke grinned back but cleared his throat when he noticed Richard's eyes on him. "Just let me know if you'll need anything else."

"Don't worry, Luke. Everything's fine." Richard studied his burger, thinking about how he'd eat something like that. Then he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and took the burger into his hands. "Let's eat then."

Lorelai just laughed and bit into her burger herself.

**To be continued...**

**Please leave me a review. Thanks ) **


	22. Chapter 22

_Maybe I'm repeating myself, but thanks **a lot** for all your lovely reviews. You guys rock! Let me give you a hug! Hehe. lol  
Actually I planned on making the following chapter a little longer but I'm leaving in a few minutes and won't have any computer access for about a week. So I didn't want you to wait until I come back to post something new. Am I nice or am I nice. :P_

Expect the next chapter when I'll get back becaue I have plenty of time writing it when I'm away. Yeah, what am I supposed to do anyway when the weather isn't that great, huh? lol

Okay, enough talking. Here's the chapter. Enjoy! 

* * *

**Chapter 22**

It was after ten when Richard excused himself and told Lorelai that it was time for him to go. He somehow forgot about time when he was sitting there with Luke and Lorelai, talking about her business and Rory. And yes, he even had a nice conversation with Luke about sports. He should have known that this guy was a sports man.

He thanked Lorelai for the nice evening, and Luke for the burger, before he left and literally rushed to his car.

Because it was late and Lorelai had no intention in staying at the Diner longer than necessary – _totally unselfish, of course_ – she helped to clear the tables and wash the dishes, while Luke finished some paperwork at the counter. This was some sort of routine that developed between them in the last few weeks, besides, it was another possibility in spending more time together.

"You finished?" Lorelai whispered into Luke's ear after she came out of the kitchen.

"In a minute." His eyes narrowed in concentration, Luke added up the income of the day as he went through the pile of bills in his hand.

Lorelai studied his face from the side, smiling to herself to the seriousness with which he was doing his work.

Not one but two minutes later, Luke filed the bills and let the folder disappear behind the counter before he turned to Lorelai. "Okay, I'm done."

"Good." Smiling, she wrapped her arms around Luke's neck and played with the curls which were poking out from under his hat. "Where did we stop before my dad arrived?"

Luke grinned, noticing the twinkle in Lorelai's eyes. "Hm, I don't know."

"Oh? That's a pity." She looked at him for a moment. Then she leaned in and brushed her lips softly against his - just for a brief moment. Pulling back a little bit, she added. "You remember now?"

"Yeah, it's slowly coming back ." He captured her mouth again as his hands cupped her face, holding her to him. Feeling Lorelai's soft skin underneath his fingers, he gently brushed his thumbs over her cheeks.

"That's something." Lorelai mumbled against his mouth. Tilting her head a little, she met his lips again. It was like a magnetical attraction whenever they were standing a few inches apart. And it was really, really hard to resist kissing each other. Lorelai always wondered if Luke was feeling the same way. But in moments like that, she was pretty sure he did.

Closing her eyes at the intensity of the kiss and the way Luke was caressing her, she felt butterflies rotating in her stomach, doing their own little dance. Not wanting to lose contact, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and pressed her body against his. Her movement caused Luke to make a step back until he backed up against the opposite counter. Soon both were fighting against the lack of oxygen but there were other things at this moment which were definitely more important.

Luke's hands were wandering over the small of her back as his tongue duelled with Lorelai's. There was so much passion between them, it was almost ridiculous. They were graving for each other like they haven't seen each other for days. For month. For an eternity. And every time they were alone, it was the same.

_Need. _

_Closeness. _

_Love. _

Would that change in a few weeks? Or would it always be like that? The heat, the passion, the fire.

When Lorelai's fingers searched for the buttons of Luke's shirt and fumbled to get them open, Luke grabbed her hands. "Lorelai."

"What?" She sighed, almost desperately because he made her stop.

"We can't do this... in here. This place. It's sanitary." Luke tried to explain, a little out of breath.

Lorelai groaned. _Fine, that can be helped_. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she pulled him with her towards the staircase. Her mouth crushed on his again and somehow she managed to tell him they need to go upstairs. _Right now_.

Without breaking their kiss, they stumbled through the Diner, bumping a few times against the counter and a table before they finally reached the stairs. That was when Luke stopped again. "Wait."

Groaning, Lorelai eased back to look at him. "What now?"

"I must be crazy to say that but... we need to stop."

"What? Why?"

"Rory." Luke took a deep breath and ran his hands over his face. "Don't you wanna go home and talk to her or something?"

It took her awhile until her head was clear again and she remembered the events of the day. Letting out a desperate sigh, she lifted her head to settle her eyes on his. "Damn it. You're right."

Luke just nodded and reached out to embrace her. She leaned her head against his chest and took a deep breath, feeling Luke's strong heartbeat under her ear. "I really should do that."

"Yeah." He slowly answered, still waiting for his heartbeat to slow down.

"Nice timing, mister." She mumbled against his chest but loud enough for Luke to hear.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Pouting, she moved back a little to look into his eyes. "You're coming with me, right?"

"Uhm, I don't know." Luke lifted his shoulders as he took a deep breath. "You think I should? Isn't this like a mother daughter thing or something?"

Lorelai lifted an eyebrow, giving him an incredulous look. "Uh, not really. You're a part of this. It's your money, isn't it?"

"It _is_ but..." Luke made a step back and looked at her with wide eyes. "Woah, wait. You don't plan on telling her, do you?"

"Sure." She studied him for a moment and saw the faintest hint of horror in his eyes. "I think that's what we're supposed to do. We can't lie to her about it."

"You didn't tell your father either, so I thought this would stay just between the two of us."

"But these are two different things and there's absolutely no need to keep it from her."

"If you say so." Luke took another deep breath and nibbled on his bottom lip as he stared on the floor, obviously thinking.

"Hey Luke?"

It was only when Lorelai touched his arm that Luke looked up and met her eyes. "Yeah?"

"What is it? What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid. It's just... technically, I'd the reason that there's no Friday night dinner anymore. So what if she gets mad at me or something?"

Lorelai's lips twitched into a smile, her fingers slowly gliding up his arm until she found his cheek. "God Luke. What are you talking about? She won't get mad. And it's not like there's no Dinner anymore. Rory can go and visit her grandparents whenever she likes. It's up to her. But it's just that _I_ don't have any obligations anymore." She paused and repeated those words in her head over and over again until a slow smile appeared on her lips. "Wow, you know what that means? I'm free. _Free_. F-r-e-e!" She grinned and made Luke roll his eyes. "You know, actually you should be happy about all this."

"Why?"

"_Because_ I'm available for you seven days a week. There's no need to look for excuses so that I can back out of Friday night dinners. No my friend, these times are over. _Over_." She emphasized the last word clearly and looked at Luke with wide and shiny eyes. She smiled. "You like that?"

"I like that a lot." Luke told her, smiling back.

"Ha, see. So this whole thing is good for _both_ of us. Oh, and by the way, I'll thank you for it later." She wriggled with her eyebrows, giving him a seductive smile. "Hmm so, you're coming with me now?"

Luke just rolled his eyes in response but his face broke into a grin rather quickly. "Well, okay."

"Oh man. You're so easy."

"I'm not." Luke laughed and when Lorelai reached for his hand, she pulled him out of the Diner.

* * *

When Richard opened the door of the Gilmore Residence, Emily rushed into the parlour, giving him a look between relief and anger.

"Richard, finally."

"Emily, hallo." Richard said, shrugging out of his coat. "You're still up?"

"I didn't know that it's going to be that late. Last week when you had a business dinner with George Lasley, it was getting late too but at least you called and let me know about it. But you never think about that someone's waiting for you at home, probably worried."

Richard didn't even hear what Emily was saying. He strode into the living room to poor himself a drink at the bar. It shouldn't be so hard to tell his own wife about his whereabouts, shouldn't it. But everything was different with Emily Gilmore. He'd better prepare himself for the upcoming conversation.

"You want something to eat? I can tell Roberta to fix you something. Roberta?" Emily called her maid and when she didn't appear after a few seconds, she hurried out of the living room. "Roberta."

"Emily, wait."

She stopped in the doorway and turned round. "I really want to know why she's not capable of coming when I'm calling for her. That can't be too hard actually. I mean, she's getting paid for this, for god's sake. Why do we even have a maid when she's never around? This isn't acceptable. Richard we have to do something about that. Right on monday I'll look for a new maid and this time I'... "

"Emily, it's late. She might already be in bed."

Frowning, she looked at her wrist watch and sighed. Then she met Richard's gaze. "It's not _that_ late." As she noticed his expression, she continued. "Richard, is there something wrong?"

"No. Uh, everything's fine." He never was successful when it comes to lying to his wife. Sometimes, he thought, it seemed that she has some higher powers with which she was able to sense whenever something was off.

_Oh yes, she has a talent_.

"Although, I have to tell you something. Maybe you want to sit down for this?" He suggested and gestured to the big cosy sofa.

Frowning, Emily sat down, her gaze steady and expectantly on her husband. "Richard. Why are you so serious? What happened?"

Hesitantly, he took a sip of his drink before he paced through the living room. _He had to tell her. The sooner the better_. "I was lying about my business dinner earlier."

"Lying? What does that mean?" She waited, lifting her eyebrows as she watched him with wide eyes. "Richard?"

He cleared his throat and adjusted his bow tie before he let out a breath. "I was meeting Lorelai. In Stars Hollow."

_ One second. _

_ Two. _

"What?" Emily almost screamed and jumped up from the sofa.

"There's no need to get loud, Emily." Making a soothing gesture with his hand, he tried to calm her down.

"Of course there is." She crossed over to the bar and poured herself a glass of vodka martini. But instead of drinking it, she turned round to look at her husband. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you go there behind my back? How could you do that?"

"I didn't do it behind your back, Emily. I'm telling you now."

"Now." Emily laughed, her fingers having a firm grip on the glass she was holding. "It's a little late for that, don't you think? You should've told me earlier."

"Why? I just wanted to talk to my daughter. I don't see anything wrong with that."

"Talk to her." She repeated, shaking her head as she sighed.

"Yes. We met at this small Diner and had dinner. We talked and..."

"You met at Luke's?" And when Richard just nodded, her eyes almost popped out of her head. "You had dinner at this _Diner_ and _he_ was there too?"

"Who?" Richard asked, a frown visible on his forehead.

"Who? Who? Luke of course."

"Yes Emily. He was there too. It's his Diner, isn't it?"

She drew in a breath before her eyes settled back on his. "This is great."

"What?"

"Do you realize that this was a sign of our approval? Going there. Talking and eating. She probably thinks that we're okay with it."

"So?"

"I certainly won't approve their relationship, Richard. And so won't you." Emily exclaimed loudly.

"Emily, this is ridiculous." He shook his head. "Luke's a very nice young man."

She just shook her head. "He owns a Diner."

"He's polite and smart. We had some very nice conversations."

"But he owns a _Diner_." Emily told him again, as if he didn't hear her the first time.

"And the most important thing is. Lorelai loves him. And he loves Lorelai. This is more than obvious. So, they have my approval. Not that they need it but I told them that I'm fine with it. I'm happy for her. You should have seen them together, Emily. This is different."

"Oh believe me. I've seen them. And it's _not_ different. It's ridiculous. Lorelai and a Diner owner. She should know it better." She shook her head.

Both of them didn't say anything for a long moment.

"I know that you'd like to see her with Christopher. One happy family. But honestly, I don't see that. Ever. Lorelai and Christopher, this is past. It's over. And he proved a lot of times that he isn't responsible enough for having his own family."

"People can change. "

"Yes, they can. But you know what? I don't want that our daughter is waiting her whole life for a man to grow up until he's ready and willing to settle down and share his life with his family. And I really can't see why you have a problem with Luke. He built up this business himself and is rather successful with it. This is certainly something we should show a little respect for. And what do you see when you look at Christopher? The last time we checked, he didn't even have a job. So what does that tell you?" He shook his head and turned away until he stood at the window, staring outside. Neither of them saying anything for a couple of minutes.

Finally, Emily was the one who broke the silence. "So, and are you going to tell me why you wanted to talk to Lorelai in the first place?" She asked although she already figured that he might have tried to talk Lorelai into coming back to Friday night dinner. At least, she hoped so. Of course she cursed herself for what she told Rory last Friday about the money and Chilton but she was just so damn angry because Lorelai skipped dinner that she wasn't able to control what she was saying. In the heat of the moment, those words slipped out of her mouth and as she realized it, it was already too late.

"I've tried to fix some things again and asked her to come back to Friday night dinner." Richard said calmly, his eyes staying on his wife as he spoke. "But as you can imagine, it was in vain."

"What does that mean, in vain? What about Chilton?"

Richard waited a heartbeat before he spoke again. "Did you really think that your plan would work and that you could make her come back this way? Because you were obviously mistaken. From now on, Lorelai will pay for Chilton herself. She doesn't it our money anymore. So this issue is over. But maybe you should think about what you've done." He paused. "I'm going to bed now. Good night." He set his empty glass down and strode away.

"Richard? Are you saying that this is my fault? And what does that mean, she has the money herself? How can she have it herself? Richard, I want to have some explanations. And why are you going away like this? Our conversation isn't over. Richard!"

Ignoring her, Richard headed upstairs and disappeared in their bedroom, leaving a stunned Emily behind...

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Well okay, writing this Emily/Richard scene kinda sucked a lot. Anyway, please be kind and leave me a review. Thankies! ) **


	23. Chapter 23

_Oh my goodness. I'm so so sorry for not updating that long. Over a month. Not possible. lol I just didn't have the time to continue writing. sigh But today I had the chance to finish this chapter. I hope there's still someone out there who is interested in reading this. lol Enjoy._

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Lorelai barely made it in front of her house when her jeep slowed down and came to an abrupt halt, after rattling down the streets for minutes. They heard a loud bang and seconds later, smoke came out from under the hood of her car.

"Woah, holy jesus..." Was all Lorelai could say, her mouth open, a slow frown forming on her forehead.

"What the hell was that?" Luke asked but when she didn't give him an answer, he rushed out of the car.

"Uh..." Lorelai did the same and watched Luke opening the hood to study what was underneath. "My car?"

"I figured."

"It was doing this the whole day, you know."

"The whole day?"

"Yes. And I was thinking, man this car is kinda stubborn today, in a strange wayward sort of way. You know, like a woman's monthly thing although I thought that my car isn't female because when I got it, it was definitely..."

"Lorelai."

"Okay sorry." She bit her lower lip before she continued. "Well, it was doing this the whole day. All this rattling and puffing..."

"Cars don't puff."

"Ha well, my car does." She told him, nodding eagerly. "Like if it was trying to tell me, 'okay it was nice but that's it.' But_ then_ everything was fine again, like if nothing happened. And I was like _'Phew_, thank god. Maybe it was just mad at me for some strange reasons. For example because I stopped at the traffic light although I could have rushed over the crosswalk without anyone noticing..."

"Yeah, except the poor pedestrians you would have crushed into." Luke deadpanned, glancing at her for a second.

"There weren't any around." She raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, were was I. Ah okay, as it stopped I figured it was just a temporary thing."

"A temporary thing? Lorelai." Luke let out a sigh. "The car was doing this for a reason."

"How would I know? I mean, as long as it drives me around, I'm fine with it."

"Yeah, as long."

"God, I'm just thinking how lucky I am that it happened now and not this afternoon on my way to Litchfield. Picture that, me and my jeep on the side of the road and no one willing to help a crazy woman. Well, except my handsome boyfriend, who, _of course_, would have come to my rescue if I'd called him, right?" She grinned and popped her head to Luke under the hood.

"Depends. You had those problems before?"

"Problems?"

"With your car."

"Before... what?"

"Before you drove to Litchfield."

"Uhh, yes." She told him hesitantly, playing with her fingers while she was watching Luke.

"I'm sure someone would have helped you." Luke mumbled and tried to figure where the smoke was coming from.

"What? I mean, yes, probably because I'm a pretty pretty woman after all." She saw Luke rolling his eyes and continued. "But, does that mean that you wouldn't have come to my rescue? I thought you're my knight in shining armour?" Lorelai said pouting, her hands on her hips.

"You know I have a Diner to run, don't you?" He mumbled again and fumbled with some wires.

"Hey, what is more important? Your Diner or your girlfriend who is lost somewhere between Stars Hollow and Litchfield? Do you know how many crazy people are out there? Do you even read a newspaper, my friend?"

Luke's head came out from under the hood. Then he turned to Lorelai who was looking at him with wide eyes. Her dark curls were shimmering from the small source of light that was coming from the porch of her house. "First of all, _I_ read the newspaper every day. And secondly, we both know that you just need to do that eyelash batting thing of yours and I'm there. Day and night. I really don't know how you're doing this but it works. And it always did."

She stared at him, her eyes twinkling and her lips forming a slow smile. Then she shrugged. "Maybe."

"Yeah, maybe." Luke smiled back. "I would take a look at it now. But it's dark and late. So I'll take a look at it tomorrow."

Lorelai blinked twice before she realized what he meant. "Oh uh, you don't have to do this."

"I know I don't, but I want to."

"I'll call Gipsy. She can fix it."

"Tomorrow is Sunday." He told her as he closed the hood with one hand.

"So?"

"Gipsy doesn't work on Sundays. And since you might need your car on Monday, I can take a look at it tomorrow. It's no big deal."

"You know things about cars?" When Lorelai noticed his look, she added with a smile. "Of course you do. You know everything. Well, almost." She grinned and played with the buttons of Luke's flannel.

"You're lucky that I'm too tired to start something here." Luke told her, holding back a grin while he was leaning against her jeep.

"Uhh, start something? That sounded _dirty_."

"No, it didn't." He let out a laugh. "Only in your head."

"Probably." She wriggled with her eyebrows, making a step closer to him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer against his body.

"Hmm, you know what? Since you're sacrificing your deserved Sunday to work on my car, I'll think about a decent payment."

"A payment?" Luke's eyes narrowed as he studied her face.

"Yes."

"I'm not taking any..." Luke started but when he noticed her expression, he understood. Smiling, he followed her game. "Well, then think about something good because I'm expensive, you know?"

"Oh yeah?" She ran a finger along his jaw line. "Doesn't matter. Good service deserves to be rewarded properly."

"That might be right."

"Yes." She grinned and as her arms slipped around Luke's neck, she leaned forward to brush her lips against his. The kiss intensified when she felt Luke's fingers drawing lazy circles on her lower back. She smiled against his lips and it cost her a lot of willpower to pull apart. "I know what you're trying, Mister."

Frowning, he let out a small laugh. "What?"

"You think I'd forget about what we wanted to do but it won't work. It was your idea and now we have to get it over with." She gave him one last quick peck on the lips. "Remember were we left off though - to continue later." She winked and reached for Luke's hand, dragging him up the front steps of her porch.

After entering the house and noticing that all the lights were off, Lorelai switched on the small lamp on their way into the living room.

"She's already asleep." Luke assumed, looking around.

"Probably." She glanced at the clock and turned back to Luke. "See how lucky I am that my daughter is at home on a Saturday night instead of hanging out in clubs, drinking beer, getting drunk, getting..." She immediately shook her head, erasing the picture out of her mind.

"Maybe because this is Stars Hollow?" Luke followed Lorelai into the kitchen and watched her as she opened the fridge.

"Yeah. The advantage of a small town." She murmured but suddenly started to bounce. "Ooooh, look at this. Look at this."

"What?" Luke ask but sighed when Lorelai showed him what her excitement caused. "Tiramisu?"

"Yes." She grabbed two forks and set the box of Tiramisu on the table. "I _heart _that. Whenever I'll go to Italy, I'm going to eat Tiramisu the _whole _day."

"Because it's so incredibly healthy."

She put a forkful into her mouth and sighed in contentment. "No, because it's _sooo_ good." Plopping down on a chair she continued eating.

"This is absolutely unbelievable." Luke shook his head but he couldn't stop grinning.

"What?" Lorelai looked up. "Wipe that smirk off your face and grab the fork before there isn't anything left."

"How is it possible that you're still not bursting. I mean, you already had desert. Not one, not two but three if you count the piece of pie your father gave you out of pity. And don't forget the Burger you ate before."

"Keep talking Mister and I promise there won't be anything left." She just grinned, watching him.

Hesitantly, he joined her at the table. "You know, this is nothing but sugar and eggs and..."

"Coffee!" Lorelai told him with a wide grin.

"And coffee." Rolling his eyes, Luke exhaled deeply.

"Mom?" A tired Rory came out of her room, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Hey Rory. I'm just telling your mother how surprised I am that she still doesn't weight over 200 pounds."

Frowning, she replied. "A miracle."

"Exactly. So, what have you been up to?" Lorelai asked her daughter while she held a forkful of tiramisu in front of Luke's mouth.

"I fell asleep while I was reading. What time is it?"

"Past eleven." Lorelai said before she turned her attention back to Luke. "C'mon baby. Open your mouth."

"Lorelai." Luke shoved her arm away. "Stop that."

"Aw, please. Try it."

"No."

"_Luuuuke_. Pleeeease."

He gave her another warning look. "Lorelai."

"Spoilsport. You don't know what you're missing."

"Believe me. I don't wanna..." And suddenly, somehow, the evil fork found its way into his mouth.

Lorelai grinned. "Ha, gotcha."

After swallowing it down and wiping off his mouth, Luke replied grumbling. "Very mature."

"Aww Luke, don't be mad." She leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on his cheek.

Grinning, Rory watched the scene in front of her. She was glad that despite the fact that her mother and Luke were a couple, the bantering and teasing hadn't stopped. "You know, I'm tired. I'll go back to bed. See ya tomorrow."

"Rory, you think you can keep awake for a few more minutes. There's something we need to talk to you about."

"Uhm, okay."

"Maybe you wanna sit down for this?" Lorelai patted the chair next to her, giving her daughter a nervous smile.

"This sounds serious. Did anything happen today?"

"Something happened, yes." And then, Lorelai told Rory everything. From Richards call, to his visit in Stars Hollow. The small fight they had but the understanding conversation that followed. About Friday night dinners, the money, about Rory's future.

While Lorelai was talking, Luke rubbed her lower back, trying to soothe away the tension that was obviously building inside her. After finishing, Lorelai took a deep breath and waited for Rory's reaction.

"So, what do you say?"

Her eyes wandering between her mother and Luke, she waited for the words to sink in.

"Rory? Say something. What are you thinking right now?"

"I... I don't know." She paused and lifted herself from the chair. "You are telling me that... that Luke is paying for my school, right?"

"Yes but..."

"Why is it so bad when grandma is paying for it, Mom? It doesn't make a difference if the money is from her or Luke."

"Maybe it makes a different to me, okay? And seems like you forgot that Emily told you she wouldn't pay anymore. So what was I supposed to do? Of course I wouldn't want you to quit Chilton and go back to Stars Hollow High. And with Luke's money everything stays how it is. Nothing's going to change."

"I'm sure that grandma wasn't serious when she told me this."

"She was. And believe me, I'm glad she did because..."

"Because you have no reason to come to Friday night dinners anymore? Yes, that was clever."

"No, I just don't want her to play the strings anymore. She always does it and she will do it as long as I depend on her. I just want this to be over and live my own life."

"With Luke's money. So how is that different now?" Rory said, her eyes fixed on her mother.

"It's different because... because Luke's part of my life. Of our life." There was a long pause. Neither of them saying anything and averting the gazes of the others until Luke broke the silence.

"Rory, look. Don't be mad at your mother because this was my idea, okay? She told me about what happened with your grandparents and she was totally upset and desperate about it that I just wanted to help. I didn't mean to cause a fight between the two of you."

"I know that." Rory whispered, looking down at her hands. "I just didn't see it coming. I mean..." She turned to her mother. "I thought you'd talk to grandma first. Sort things out."

"I talked to your grandfather, Rory. And we sorted things out. Everything's okay." Lorelai told her, nodding.

"Everything? What do you mean with everything? What about grandma?"

"She... she'll understand." Lorelai smiled, shrugging. "Just give her some time."

Rory sighed and added whispering. "Okay."

Luke continued. "Rory, I offered your mother the loan so that she can pay for your school. If I would have know that this is against your will then..."

"No, it's okay." Rory cut him off. "I really appreciate what you're doing, Luke. I'm sorry, I should have been more thankful but this kinda took me by surprise."

"We should have talked to you first. Sorry." Luke said, looking at Rory while he was rubbing the back of his neck. "So, is this okay for you now?"

"I guess." Rory answered hesitantly, squinting her eyes at her mother before she looked back at Luke. She made a step towards him and gave him a hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Luke's face relaxed, a smile appeared on his face.

"We're all okay now, right?" Lorelai stepped up beside them.

"Yes, we are. Sorry Mom."

"It's okay." She smiled and bit her lower lip.

"Okay, I'm really going back to sleep now. Night Luke. Night Mom."

When Rory disappeard in her room, Lorelai turned to Luke and threw her arms around his neck. Then he whispered into his hear. "She took that very well, don't you think?"

"Yes." Luke laughed and pulled her closer, taking in her scent.

"But now let's go upstairs. I'm exhausted." She pulled back to look at him. "You're staying, right?"

"Yes."

Lorelai's smile grew wider. Grabbing his arm, she dragged him with her - upstairs into her room...

* * *

_Please leave me a review. Thankies! ) _


	24. Chapter 24

_Okay, this isn't possible. It took me another month for finally posting the next chapter. I'm so so sorry. Life's pretty hectic right now. I know that's no excuse but that's all I can say. I already thought about stop writing completely but honestly, I have too much fun with it. So, I'm still mulling. Somehow! lol_

So, big big thanks for everyone who's still reading my story. I only write for you guys. Hope you know that! To spread out a little JJ cuteness because, unfortunately, we don't get enough this season. At least, not until not. Hope that will change soon but we'll see. I just hope ASP knows what she's doing.

Well, anyway. Here's the new Chapter. Hope it doesn't suck that much. And if yes, I'm sorry! 

* * *

**Chapter 24**

It was a sunny and warm Sunday when Lorelai woke up in her bed. The curtains at her windows were half open, so small rays of sunlight peeked into her room, telling her that it wasn't that early in the morning anymore. Yawning, she stretched her arms above her head before she rubbed her sleepy eyes. When she turned to reach for Luke, she found his side of the bed empty and cold. Sighing, she opened her eyes and rolled onto her stomach, snuggling into Luke's pillow to take in his scent. As she blinked at the alarm clock, she realized how late it was. After ten o'clock in the morning. _Awesome to oversleep half of the day, isn't it? _She told herself and sat up straight in bed. Reaching over to grab her nightgown, she slipped out of bed and walked downstairs to find Luke. That was when she sensed that delicious smell coming from the kitchen. She shuffled through the living room and straight into the kitchen where she found an already waiting pot of coffee in the coffee maker. Smiling, she filled some into a mug and snatched one of the Doughnuts. Passing the window, she stopped when she saw what was going on outside.

"Okay Rory, one more time." Luke said while his head was under the hood of Lorelai's jeep.

"'kay." Rory answered from inside the car and turned the key. The engine was about to start but it immediately died off.

"Damn it." Luke grumbled and stood up straight, taking off his cap and running a hand through his hair.

"Still not working." Rory said, giving him a worried look. "Maybe you should call Gipsy."

Rolling his eyes, Luke placed the cap back on his head before he rolled the sleeves of his shirt up his arms. "I can do this."

"Of course you can but how long will it take?"

"Funny. Look, I'm trying okay?" He looked at her for a moment. "You're so like your mother. You know that?"

"And is that a bad thing?" Rory grinned and hopped out of the car.

"I'm not quite sure." Luke replied with a blank face which soon broke into a grin.

"Anyway, I'm going inside. You want something to drink?"

"Water would be good." Luke nodded before he bent down to take something out of his toolbox.

"I'll be right back." Rory told him before she walked back into the house where she found Lorelai standing in the kitchen, drinking her beloved coffee. "Oh, hey. You're up. Finally."

"Morning to you too, my dear kid." Lorelai said before she emptied the cup and turned to her daughter. "It's Sunday. When am I supposed to sleep longer if not today?"

"Yeah, sure. Got it." Rory walked to the fridge to take out a bottle of water. "Luke is outside, working on your car."

"I know." She looked outside the window where she had a perfect view of what Luke was doing. Smiling, she watched him for a moment. "He looks a little… desperate."

"Could be. He still wasn't able to fix the problem."

"Awww." Lorelai's lips twitched into a smile. "It's so cute of him that he's trying."

"Well…"

"I'll go outside and try to cheer him up a little." She wriggled with her eyebrows, grinning broadly.

"Do that. Oh wait. Get him his water." Rory handed her the bottle before she made her way into the bathroom.

As Lorelai left her house she stopped at the bottom of the stairs and watched as Luke slipped out of his flannel shirt. Now he was standing there, in her front yard, wearing a white undershirt that showed off his broad shoulders and muscular arms. And it was all hers, she told herself grinning as she made her way towards him.

"Hey. Excuse me, have you seen my boyfriend?"

Turning around, Luke gave her a confusing look. "What?"

"My boyfriend. Tall, flannel shirt, baseball cap…" She pointed at his head with a faint hint of a grin.

"Nope. Sorry. Haven't seen such a guy." Luke shrugged but held her gaze.

"Too bad. Maybe I should go back inside then." Lorelai teased and half turned to leave but Luke grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. "What?"

"The water." Luke said, gesturing at the bottle in Lorelai's hands.

She laughed and handed it to him. "Here."

"Thanks." He took a few gulps before he set it on the floor.

"If I would have known what's going on out here, I wouldn't have stayed in bed that long." Lorelai told him, hands on her hips, her eyes focused on his.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked and leaned against the jeep.

"Well…" Making a step towards him, she continued. "You, showing off your body. I can't believe I almost missed that."

Luke snorted. "I'm not showing off my body. I was just dying in that damn shirt so I took it off."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." He nodded and smiled as Lorelai slipped her arms around his waist.

"But you do know that Babette is watching you?"

"No, she's not." His eyes wandered over to Babette's house and found said person staring back at them, a hose in her hand and pretending to water her flowers. "Okay, maybe she does."

"See. But I can't blame her. I like looking at you too." She traced her finger up his arm and circled his tattoo.

"Right back at ya." Luke whispered and let her lean against his body as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Hey, when do you think you'll be finished here?" Lorelai started after a long moment of silence.

"I don't know. Why?"

"I thought we could do something today?" Lorelai said, her cheek still leaning against Luke's chest. "Or do you have to get back to the Diner?"

"Not necessarily. What do you have in mind?"

"Since it's a pretty nice day, we could have a picnic. Go swimming. How does that sound?" Lorelai pulled back to look into Luke's eyes.

"Sounds good." He smiled. "Just have to call Pete when I'm done here."

"Good. Or you could leave it be and I'll call Gipsy tomorrow morning." She suggested, shrugging.

"I told you I'll fix this."

"I know. I know." She sighed and lifted her head to look into his eyes. Then she smiled. "Just do me a favor and hurry up."

Luke let out a small laugh. "You know, I'm trying but there is someone who's keeping me from doing so."

"Really? I wonder who that could be." Her smile broke into a grin as she moved her head closer to Luke's.

"Well…"

But before he had the time to answer, Lorelai rubbed her lips over his as her fingers trailed up into his hair. As they continued kissing, she ran her fingers down Luke's back, playing with the edge of his undershirt. Ever so slowly she wormed her hand underneath it and felt Luke's sudden intake of breath as he noticed what she was doing.

"Lorelai." Luke mumbled against her lips. He was feeling a little uncomfortable for doing something like that in public – in front of Babette – but right now, he didn't really care.

"No talking." Lorelai whispered back before her mouth crushed down on his again. And she started to deepen the kiss as she felt Luke's hands on her lower back, holding her close. It almost seemed like the world would stop around them.

Almost.

"Mom." They heard Rory calling and a second later she tapped on Lorelai's shoulder, blushing slightly for interrupting them like this. "Mom, I'm sorry."

"Yeah?" Lorelai turned around, her cheeks flushed and with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Telephone. It's dad." She said, handing her mother the phone.

"Oh. Uh, okay." Lorelai stammered a little out of breath. Shifting her gaze back to Luke, she gave him a small smile before she hesitantly reached for the phone and walked back to the house. "Hey Christopher."

Rory turned to Luke and gave him an uneasy smile.

"So, your dad, huh?"

"Yes." She waited a heartbeat before she continued. "He's around and asked to have lunch with us."

"Today?"

"Yes."

"Oh okay." He paused and looked around. "I mean, sounds good right?"

"Yes."

Luke tried to smile before he swallowed and looked down on the floor.

"You know, I haven't seen him in months and my mom either. I mean, he called but…"

"It's not the same." He saw Rory nodding and continued. "It's important to keep in touch with him. He is your dad."

"Yeah." She pointed to the Jeep. "So, what about Mom's car?"

"Working on it."

"You want me to call Gipsy for ya?" She shot him a grin what made Luke roll his eyes. "Just kidding. Good luck with it then."

"Thanks. "

"Well, I should go get changed. My dad said he'd be here in 15 minutes." Rory told him and hurried inside.

Closing his eyes, Luke blew out a breath and a scowl formed on his face. Since he started dating Lorelai, he always wondered when he'd finally meet Christopher - Rory's dad, and yes let's face it, Lorelai's ex boyfriend.

And even though he told himself that there's nothing to worry about, he started to feel jealous.

Jealous of Christopher.

Jealous of what he and Lorelai will always have.

A connection.

A bond that was indestructible because of what they share.

Rory.

* * *

A few minutes later, Luke wriggled himself out of under the car, reaching for a towel to clean his hands as he noticed a car coming down the road and stopping right in front of the house. Chris climbed out and as he noticed Luke's presence he walked over, staring at him intently.

"Hey."

"Hey." Luke greeted him shortly, taking a slant at Chris before he started gathering his tools.

"You fixing Lor's car?"

"Yeah."_ Gee, what does it look like? _

"Okay." Chris paused and watched Luke. Then he offered his hand. "I'm sorry. I'm Christopher. Rory's dad."

Lifting his head, Luke met his eyes and they shook hands. "Luke."

"Luke? The famous Luke from Luke's Diner?"

"That would be me, yes."

"Lorelai told me a lot about you."

"She did?" Luke said, raising both of his eyebrows.

"No, actually about your Diner. Lor is totally obsessed with the coffee you're serving there.Must be a hell of a recipe."

"I'm not quite sure if it's the coffee itself or the simple fact that Lorelai can bug me for it every single day." Luke told him and couldn't hide a small chuckle as he mentioned her name.

"So, you and Lor… good friends? I mean, besides being her coffee supplier and fixing her car."

"Well, actually …" Luke started but got interrupted as Rory hurried out of the house.

"Dad."

"Hey kiddo." Chris gave her a long hug. "How you've been doing? How is Chilton?"

"Everything's fine."

"Ah, it's good to see you." He smiled and patted her head. "Where's your mom?"

"She's… ah, there she comes." Rory gestured towards the house.

Lorelai came down the stairs, wearing a pair of jeans and a white spaghetti strap shirt. Smiling, she walked over and gave Chris a hug. "Hey."

"Lor, hey. You look terrific – as always."

She rolled her eyes but grinned. "Oh come on. You always say that."

"Because it's true." Chris winked and gave her a charming smile.

"It's not." She slightly blushed and as she noticed Luke looking a little uncomfortable, she immediately added. "Oh uhm, Luke this is Christopher…"

"I know. We just…"

"Oh okay." Lorelai smiled and walked over to stand next to Luke.

"So, are you girls ready?" Christopher asked, looking from Lorelai to Rory.

"I am but Mom's not coming."

Christopher frowned as he looked back to Lorelai. "What? Why? Lor, c'mon. We haven't seen each other for months. I thought we could catch up a little."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because… because apparently I have other plans."

"Other plans? Yeah, but can't you just like… skip them or something? Please." Chris begged, giving her a desperate look. "There's so much I want to tell you."

"Lorelai, it's okay. I have to go back to the Diner anyway." Luke whispered and bent to grab his toolbox.

"No." She grabbed his arm and turned back to Chris. "Next time okay?"

"Next time? God knows when I'll be around next time."

"Lorelai, really…" Luke started again but Lorelai just shook her head.

"I thought we could have lunch, go to the movies and stuff like that. It's going to be fun." He suddenly stopped as his eyes fell on Luke and Lorelai's joined hands. Meeting Lorelai's gaze, he gave her a confusing look.

"Okay see, Luke and I, we wanted to spend the day together."

"You and… Luke."

"Yes." She nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So, you're telling me that... you and Luke are…"

"…together."

"Together." Chris repeated confused, clearly averting Luke's gaze.

"Yes. I mean, we're dating. So yes, I'd say that makes us a couple." She explained and felt Luke squeezing her hand. Looking up at him, she saw him smiling.

"Wow okay. I… I didn't know that." Chris' smile faded as her words sank in.

"It's kinda new. I mean, yeah... it's new." Lorelai told him, smiling from ear to ear as she leaned more into Luke.

Christopher didn't say anything for a long moment. Then he cleared his throat and shifted his attention back to his daughter. "Well, it's just the two of us then, I guess."

"Yeah. And thanks for being so excited about it." Rory teased and slightly punched his arm.

"Sorry. I am. I am excited. It's just..." Chris took a breath before he turned back to Lorelai. "If you're busy today then maybe we can catch up another time?"

"Sure, why not."

"I'd love that. Okay, good. Uhm, so have a nice day. Rory? Let's go. You choose where we're going out for lunch."

"Bye you two." Lorelai said as both of them climbed into Christopher's car. They watched as they drove off before Lorelai turned to Luke. "So, you ready for that picnic we talked about earlier?"

"You didn't have to do this."

"What?"

"You should have gone to have lunch with them."

"No, I shouldn't."

"But..."

"...leave you alone even though we already had plans? No way, Mister." Lorelai grinned and tapped the hood of her jeep. "You fixed my baby?"

Luke just nodded.

"Yay." She smiled thankfully and planted a quick kiss on Luke's lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He grinned and brought her back for a second kiss.

Pulling apart, she looked at him with a smile. "Mhh, I like that. See, that's another reason why I wanted to spend the day with you and not with them."

"Good to know."

"Yeah." Lorelai was still grinning. "I mean, it's time to pay you for the work you've done with my car. Only if you still want me to, of course."

Luke snorted out a laugh. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Dunno. I just thought I'd ask."

"Very considerate of you."

"I know. That's me." Lorelai grinned and grabbed Luke's arm to pull him with her. "And now let's go and pack some things. I need your help with picking the right bikini. You know, it's not always fun if you're collection is _that_ big. And then we have to stop at your place to grab some things too. Oh, and you know what? I was always wondering if you're more a trunks or speedo type of guy…"

"Ah geez."

* * *

**To be continued... ? **

_Well okay, in case you still want me to go on.. is there something you wanna see? I did plan on writing about their picnic etc. A nice and fluffy chapter. And later on something that involves Chris. What do you think? Please let me know:) _


	25. Chapter 25

_Wow, okay. It makes me feel bad that every update starts with an apology. I didn't plan on letting you wait that long for the new chapter. I really didn't but sometimes life comes into the way. I'm sure you know how it is, right?_

Anyway, again and want to thank every single person who's still reading my story and is enjoying it. You guys make me really happy and it gives me the motivation to continue writing. Love you all!

Well, I told you this chapter is going to be pure fluff. So, here it is. I hope you like it. Enjoy! )

* * *

**Chapter 25**

After 45 minutes of driving and discussing if whether or not they brought enough food, they finally arrived at the lake. Looking around, they spotted a nice and shady place under a tree, just a few feet away from the water and – what was the most important thing – it was rather isolated from the crowded beachside.

"Okay, this place is perfect." Lorelai stopped and turned to Luke who was trailing after her, carrying a cool bag and a big blanket.

"Here?"

"Yes. Here." She pointed at the spot right under a tree and set down the bag she was carrying herself. Then she grabbed the blanket from Luke and spread it out on the grass.

"I like it. It's… silent." Luke nodded, looking around before he watched Lorelai sitting down.

"Yeah? So, you don't wanna go back to that noisy place we passed earlier with those little screaming kids, running around and playing soccer? Now you surprise me, Mister." She grinned and patted the blanket, indicating him to join her.

"I wouldn't have stayed there anyway. Believe me." Luke told her as he sat down.

"Yes, somehow I believe you." She grinned and shifted closer to Luke. "It's so much better here. You and me. All alone. Right?"

"Right." He told her in a low voice, his eyes fixed on hers.

Lorelai smiled. That's a way to spend a Sunday, she told herself and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Glad we agreed on that."

As she laid back on the blanket, she closed her eyes and stretched her arms above her head. "You know what? I'm glad it's getting warmer again. I love winter and snow and we both know that but you just don't get a tan in this time of the year and that sucks." She paused. "I think we should do this more often. Just go away. Out of town. Away from all those crazy people, away from my Inn and your Diner. Maybe for more than a day. Michel would be glad if he could get rid of me for a few days. And I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem with your Diner either. Pete's doing a pretty good job if you're asking me. Although, his coffee is not as good as yours but god knows I'm quite picky when it comes to my beloved coffee. And you have a lifetime experience in making it after all. Okay, maybe lifetime is the wrong word because it makes _you _old - which makes _me _old. Nah, let's not go there…" She suddenly stopped and squinted her eyes against the sun to look at Luke. "Luke?"

But Luke didn't hear her. He tuned out minutes ago, thinking about certain things that bothered him. Well, let's name it because it's pretty obvious, isn't it? Christopher. That's just great. Even if he isn't here, he's ruining his day with Lorelai. Everything started so good when he woke up that morning, next to the most beautiful and amazing woman he ever met. Just looking at her made his heartbeat go faster and he always thought that he wasn't one of those guys that affected the simple presence of a woman that much. And now everything was different even though it shouldn't. Okay, Christopher showed up. So what? That was predictable somehow, even logical because he was Rory's father. But was it wrong to wish that he would show up later then sooner?

Luke never got Chris' attitude to begin with, popping into the Gilmore's life whenever it pleases him. That's just not right, isn't it? If you're a father, you can't just decide if it fits into your plans at the moment or not. What kind of father would act like this?

Father. Christopher was Rory's father, which makes him Lorelai's partner. Even if they're not together at the moment, they'll always be parents. Together. And just the thought of that simple word made Luke's heart cringe. God damn it.

And he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even hear Lorelai calling out his name several times. It was only Lorelai's touch that brought him back to reality.

He turned his head to meet her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, Luke finally answered. "Nothing."

"Did you even hear one word of what I was saying?"

"Sorry. What did you say?"

"Well, I was talking about us and a romantic get-away some time." Lorelai smiled but it faded as she noticed his blank stare.

"Okay."

"Okay?" She frowned and moved closer. "That's all you can think of when I'm telling you that I wanna go on vacation with you?"

"Vacation?"

"Yes. Vacation." Lorelai grinned and shifted her body so that she was straddling Luke's lap, facing him. "Would you like that?"

For a second, Luke closed his eyes. He thought about telling her what was bothering him but he just couldn't. It was their day and he didn't have the slightest intention to ruin it. So he put all his worries and fears into the back of his mind and decided not to think about it any longer. At least not today.

As he opened his eyes, he saw Lorelai looking at him, rather expectantly - and if he wasn't wrong, even a little hurt. "Sure. I'd like that. A lot."

Lorelai let out a breath she didn't know she was holding before her lips twitched into a smile. "Yeah? You sure?"

"Yes." Luke smiled back.

"You know that we'd be together 24/7, right?"

"Yes." He nodded again.

"That doesn't scare you a tiniest bit?"

"Should it?"

"I can't say because I'm with me all the time. So I can definitely bare myself. Don't know about other people though."

"Rory seems to be fine hanging with you quite often." Luke pointed out, tracing his fingers over the top of her thighs.

"Because she's like me. You know the saying. Like mother, like daughter." She suddenly froze as she thought about her own mother and took a deep breath. "It's not always like that."

"Thank god." Luke chuckled because he knew to what she was referring to.

"Yeah." She grinned and leaned forward until their lips met in a slow and gentle kiss. Reaching up to touch his face, she felt the light stubble underneath her fingertips.

Luke drew her closer as he wrapped his strong arms around her slender waist, and let her take him deeper. Ever so slowly, she leaned forward as they kissed and forced Luke to lay back down. He took her with him, her body resting now on top of his. Their kissing never stopped during that change of position.

But when they both noticed the lack of oxygen in their lungs, Lorelai eased back, smiling. Resting her elbows on either side of Luke's head, she waited for her breathing to go back to normal again. "Wow."

Luke just smiled, those deep blue eyes focused so intently on hers as he brushed strands of hair behind her ear. And just that simple gesture made her heartbeat go faster again. Luke sure has some talent, she thought grinning.

"What?" Luke asked, raising both of his eyebrows.

"Nothing."

"So nothing, huh?"

"Yes, I was just..."

And in the blink of an eye, he switched their positions so that Lorelai was trapped underneath him.

"Why is it that men always wanna be on top?" She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"I don't _always_ wanna be on top." He pronounced, looking at her.

"Sure you do." Lorelai gave him a cheeky grin. "We almost always end up like this."

After looking at her for a while, Luke nudged her legs apart so that he could comfortably rest between them. "Any complaints?"

"Nope." She linked her arms around Luke's neck, smiling. "Not at all."

"Good for you." And with that his mouth crushed down on hers again while his fingers feathered through her soft and curly hair. Ever so slowly, he continued to leave trails of kisses down her neck.

"I..." Lorelai started but immediately stopped as Luke's mouth found the sensitive spot behind her ear. Her ability to form coherent sentences or even to think straight disappeared within a second. Her eyes shut closed as a soft moan escaped her mouth. Grinning, she bit her lower lip and turned her head to the side to give him more access for what he was doing. Her fingers found their way under Luke's shirt. And the familiar feeling of soft skin and firm muscles made her smile even more.

As she opened her eyes to tell him to take off his shirt, she shrieked and placed her hands on Luke's chest to shove him away.

"What the hell... what's wrong?" Luke asked confused and a little out of breath as he was looking at her wide eyes.

"There." She motioned with her head at Luke's shoulder, before she tried to flee from underneath him. "Put it away. Now!"

"I don't..." But when Luke turned his head he noticed a small spider sitting on his left shoulder. Rolling his eyes, he brushed it off and turned back to Lorelai. "It's gone."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Did you kill it?" Her eyes shifted to the grass beside them. "If not, it'll come back."

"Relax. It was only a spider."

"Excuse me? _Only _a spider? Are you kidding? They're ugly and... and they have those long spidery legs... _hairy_ legs... and huge eyes and it looked like it was about to jump on me."

"Jump on you." Luke repeated, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes. And did I mention those hairy legs?" She pulled a face. "Ew. Just gross."

Luke grinned and looked down at her, amused. "That's nature, Baby. And a small spider certainly won't kill you."

"Don't make fun of me, Luke." Lorelai slapped his chest, giving him a hard glare.

"I'd never do that." He shook his head, giving her an innocent look but couldn't hide a small grin that was playing on his lips. "Never."

Lorelai eyed him suspiciously but pushed him away to sit up. "I hate to get interrupted like this. Not when we're..."

"Who are you telling this?" Luke replied but sat up too before he added. "Mood killer."

"Says the one who had a spider on his shoulder."

"What? Are you saying this is my fault now?" Luke laughed.

"Maybe." She shrugged, followed by a smile. "Just kidding. I'm sorry but those little things kinda freak me out."

"Really? I almost didn't notice." Luke teased, grinning.

"Maybe it was good that we stopped though. I wouldn't like to get arrested for indecent behaviour in public. You?"

"Depends."

Her eyes still locked on his, Lorelai tilted her head smiling. "There's always later."

"Later sounds good." Luke nodded, a smile covered his face.

And as they were sitting across from each other, cross-legged, Luke's fingers found the way to her knee and ever so slowly, he started to draw lazy circles up her thigh. Their eyes locked the whole time. And Lorelai secretly cursed the minute she made the suggestion of having picnic at the lake instead of staying in bed the whole day. But good, this had to wait until they were back home.

Just to be safe, she grabbed the picnic basked and placed it in between them. "You want a beer?"

"Uh, sure." Luke pulled back his hand, watching her as she rummaged through the bag before she handed him a bottle.

"Nothing's better than a cool beer on a hot day." Lorelai stated after taking a long sip. And when she saw Luke nodding his head, she smiled. "But actually, I'm kinda starving too. What about you?"

"Now that you've mentioned it."

Grinning, she put her beer aside. "Well, so let's see what we've got here."

"What? You think I'm not capable of packing a picnic basket for us?"

"Sure baby. I'm just hoping that there's something else in here than fruits and vegetables and…" She stopped, a grin spreading across her face. "Doughnuts. This is _good_. Aaaand apple pie. Even _better_. Oh, what's this? Ah, my Burger. Yummy."

"I don't get why you wanted a Burger. I'm sure it's disgusting now that it's cold."

"It's not." She unwrapped it and took a big bite. "Mmmh. See. Still good."

Luke just shook his head, laughing. "God, help me."

"I can't remember that I told you to bring something like _that_ along?" Lorelai said with a frown, eyeing the plastic box of salad in her hand.

"It's mine." He snatched it out of her hands. Then he added. "Sorry I brought something along that I like. Who was I to think that I might get hungry too?"

"Yeah, seems I forgot for a minute who I'm dating right now. The healthy Diner owner himself." She thought for a moment. "Well, you do know that this sounds so wrong? Diner. Healthy. Oxymoron."

Luke just rolled his eyes and started with his salad. "Just eat."

"Yes, sir." She leaned forward to give him a small peck on the lips before she continued eating her Burger.

* * *

An hour later, after they've finished their late afternoon lunch, both of them were laying on the blanket, clearly enjoying the warm and sunny day at the end of May.

After a moment of silence, Lorelai was the first to speak. "God, I'm stuffed. I can't move." She groaned.

"Then don't." Luke mumbled, lifting his head to remove his baseball cap before he laid back down.

"Haha. Funny." She took a deep breath. "I think the last Doughnut was too much. Why didn't you stop me? _No_, instead you let me eat all three of them."

"You know that this is a 'Mission Impossible'."

"What is?"

"Stopping you when you're eating."

"Oh, nice compliment Luke Danes. I'll remember that. One day, when I'm weighing 400 pounds and you have no choice but roll me around like a ball, I certainly won't forget who's fault that was."

"Rolling around, huh?" Luke laughed and turned his head to look at her.

"Yes. Good luck then. It's not going to be that easy with 400 pounds, you know?" She took a deep breath and remained silent for a few moments before she sat up straight. "Okay, let's go."

"Go? You wanna go home already? It's not that late yet."

"Not home. Into the water." She stood up and pulled her shirt up and over her head before it landed on the grass. "Come on."

But when she noticed that Luke wasn't moving, she frowned. "_Hello_? What are you waiting for?"

Lifting his head, Luke opened his eyes to look at her. "You really wanna go in there? I think it's a little too cold to take a swim."

"No, it's not. And hey, do you think we've been looking for your swim trunks for nothing? I turned your apartment upside down to find them."

"Literally if I may add."

"Sorry. I told you I'll help you to clean it up again." She grinned and wriggled the skirt down her hips.

"You better do."

"Now, be a nice boyfriend, take off your clothes and come into the water with me."

"Didn't you learn as a kid that you shouldn't swim right after lunch?"

"Oh _please_. I will not drown. And even _if_, you'll be there to rescue me anyway. So why bothering? "

"Yeah sure. Just shout loud enough so that I can hear you while I'm taking a nap here." Luke laid back down, closing his eyes.

"_Luuuuke_."

"Later."

"Not later. _Now_."

No response.

"Luuuukey."

"I'm sleeping here."

"No, you're not." She looked down at herself, pouting. "You don't like my bikini, do you?"

"What's got that to do with anything?"

"Don't know. It feels like that."

"I picked it out. Of course I like it." His eyes still closed.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." She threw a hard glare into his direction before she turned to walk towards the lake. As her toes came in contact with the water, she gasped and immediately stepped back.

"Told you it's too cold, didn't I?" She heard Luke saying behind her back.

"It's fine."

"Well then. Don't blame me if you're getting sick again."

At the memory of that, Lorelai rolled her eyes but a grin covered her face. Slowly, she stepped back into the water, stopping after a few feet to let her body adjust to the cold temperature. When the water was up to her knees, she turned back to Luke.

An idea popped into her head and with that, an evil grin appeared on her face. Bending down, she reached into the water and splashed some of it into Luke's direction. The first time she missed him but after trying it a few more times she finally reached her target and made Luke opening his eyes.

"Stop that." He grumbled.

"What?" She asked innocently, chewing on her lower lip to suppress a grin.

"What you've just done. Just stop it, okay?"

"Oh, you're talking about this?" And with that another splash of water found its way into Luke's direction.

"Lorelai." Luke warned her again but when she didn't seem to care, he sat up. "Don't do that. Everything's going to be wet here."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Their eyes met and Lorelai could tell by his expression, that Luke wasn't amused. Oh no, he really wasn't. And right when Lorelai reached into the water again, she heard Luke saying.

"Don't you dare, Lorelai."

"Dare what?" But when she looked up, Luke was already slipping out of his shirt and pants, making his way over to her. Squealing, she dove into the water and started to swim. "Catch me if you can."

"I will. Oh believe me. I will." Luke hurried after her, cursing a few times when he came in contact with the coldness of the water.

Jesus Christ. It _was_ cold.

A few feet separated them and Lorelai knew that Luke was coming closer every second. Damn it, where did he learn to swim like that, she thought and stopped, trying if she still had ground under her feet. And thank god, she had. Turning around, she frowned because Luke was nowhere to be seen.

"Okay, if you think this is funny, I can tell you it's _not_."

Nothing.

"Luke? Seriously. I…" When she felt something touching her leg, she let out a shriek and a second later Luke dove out of the water right in front of her.

"_Gotcha_." He said and grabbed her by her waist.

"God damn it, Luke. Don't do that again. Ever."

"No?" He pulled her close so that their bodies were touching.

"Yeah." Lorelai whispered, her eyes focused on his. Then she grinned. "You're here."

"I am."

"I knew you'd come if I keep doing this."

"Dirrty."

Lorelai laughed and slipped her arms around his neck. "Indeed but I know you love that about me."

Luke just nodded and placed soft kisses along her jaw and down her neck. "I do."

Smiling, she closed her eyes and wrapped her legs around Luke's hips. "Hey." She whispered into his ear. "You've ever done it in the water before?"

Pulling back, Luke gave her a look. "You forgot what you said earlier about indecent behavior in public, right?"

"This isn't fair."

"Who are you telling this?" He muttered in response before his mouth crushed down on hers and his fingers trailed up into her wet hair.

"Mh-hmm."

Lorelai angled her head and cupped his face to deepen the kiss. And everything inside her sparked as their tongues met, dueling. Dancing. Exploring each others mouths. Moaning, Luke slid his hands into the water and down Lorelai's back, feeling her soft skin underneath his fingertips and making Lorelai shiver in response. Not only because of the coldness but of the feeling he was giving her. A single finger trailed down the side of her body, over her hip and thight and back up again - letting her crave for more.

Groaning, she pulled back to look at him. "You're killing me, Luke."

"Not intentionally." He said and made her grin. And as they started to kiss again, Lorelai suddenly eased back.

"Was that a drop?"

"Considering where we are. Possibly."

"No, I mean..." And when Lorelai lifted her head, she noticed that the blue sky from earlier had totally disappeared. Instead it was all gray and cloudy. And then she felt it again.

"Tell me this isn't true. It starts to mizzle."

"Well..."

"Where the hell is the sun. I'm freezing." Her teeth chattering.

"Gone, apparently." Luke deadpanned, pulling her close and rubbing her back.

"It's some kind of a sign, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind. Let's go home. I know some things we can do to warm us up." She grinned and pulled him with her.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_Hope you liked that chapter. Had to give you that one before I'll start to throw in a little drama. Have some suggestions or something you want to see? Then let me know. _

_Reviewing would be nice. Thanks! _

_Stay tuned!_


	26. Chapter 26

**Sorry, sorry, sorry. I know it's been ages since my last update. God, I hate when I don't find the time to write on my chapter. Thank god it's holidays now which means, time off from college. I had the time to finish this chapter today. Hope you'll like it. Enjoy. :)**

* * *

**  
Chapter 26**

It was an hour later when Luke and Lorelai arrived back in Stars Hollow. Pushing the door to Lorelai's house open, they hurried inside because it had already started to pour cats and dogs and all evidence of an early summer day was gone.

"Holy Jesus." Luke grumbled and followed Lorelai into the house before he closed the door behind him.

Laughing, she set the picnic basket on the floor and slipped out of her shoes before she turned to Luke, giggling. "Oh come on. This was fun. Admit it."

"I'm soaked from head to toe. Where's the fun part?"

"Oh Luke."

"There's no piece of clothes that is still dry."

"Guess what, buddy. Same here." She pointed at herself and grinned.

"We have to get out of them or we're getting sick. I don't wanna get a damn cold again."

"Me neither, baby." Lorelai gave him a sympathetic smile before she reached for his hand.

"I know something to warm us up again." Luke suggested, following her upstairs.

"Yeah, me too." She turned and gave him a big grin.

"Okay, I have a feeling that we're not talking about the same thing here."

"Oh really?" She stopped, looking at him. "What did _you _have in mind?"

"Hot bubble bath. You?"

"Oooh, nice. Combinable with what _I_ was thinking about." Lorelai wiggled her eyebrows while she was biting on her lip.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, let me show you." She giggled and pulled on Luke's arm to hurry upstairs when they suddenly heard the front door open. "Oh no. Rory's back. Hurry, hurry." Lorelai whispered and pushed Luke further upstairs.

"Mom?" Rory walked into the living room. "We're back."

At the word _we_, Lorelai stopped and swallowed. She slowly turned around and saw Rory and Christopher standing in the living room. "Hey."

"What happened to you guys? You're soaked." Christopher asked half laughing, his eyes wandering from Luke to Lorelai.

"Yeah. You know, the rain." She was still clutching Luke's arm who was standing behind her.

"Mom, I told Dad he could stay here for the rest of the evening. That's okay, right?"

"Uuh..."

"Please. We could order some food and have dinner together. I think this would be nice."

"Actually, Luke and I..."

"Luke's invited of course." Rory immediately added and gave Luke a smile. "Please."

And gone was her afternoon with Luke. Lorelai thought sighing, her eyes wandering to Luke who was looking at her blankly. "Okay, we just... go upstairs and get changed."

"Okay." Rory nodded. "Hey Dad, you ever tried something from '_Al's pancake world_'?" She asked as she made her way into the kitchen with Christopher following her.

* * *

"I'm sorry." Lorelai started once they were upstairs in her room.

"It's okay." Luke said, trying to hide his disappointment as he slipped out of his shirt and pants.

"No, it's not." She retorted, pulling the shirt over her head before she threw it over the chair. "I didn't know she's bringing Christopher back here."

Luke walked to the closet where he had already stored a few flannel shirts and jeans of his own. "Hey, don't worry."

"It's not what I planned."

"I know that. It's fine." Luke told her again as he was pulling on a pair of jeans and a dark plaid shirt.

"We can still take our bath later. When he's gone." She smiled and slipped into some dry clothes herself.

"Lorelai, I think it's better if..."

"What?"

"If I go back to my place."

"Luke..."

"Look, this is kinda weird. Me and Christopher. Here. Together."

"But it shouldn't be."

"And it's a family thing you're having here. You haven't seen him in months and I'd just be in the way."

"Don't say that."

"But it's what it is."

"No. You're family too now, Luke." She walked up to him, taking his hands.

"I'm not. It's supposed to be you, Rory and Christopher."

"But we're together now which means, you and me, we're a package." She smiled up at him. "I want you to be here and Rory wants you to be here."

"But Christopher doesn't."

"He didn't say anything like that, did he?"

"No but..."

"See." She slipped her arms around Luke's neck and pulled him close. "It's not going to be that bad. Two or three hours and then he's gone."

He was looking at her, thinking about something to talk himself out of it but with the way she was looking at him, he just nodded and let out a deep sigh. "Okay."

"Okay." Lorelai's lips twitched into a smile before she gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Now come on. Let's go downstairs. Rory's going to order food from 'Al's pancake world'. You love his food, don't you?"

"Extremely." Luke grumbled and followed her out of the room.

* * *

After Dinner, the four of them made themselves comfortable in the living room. Lorelai and Luke on the sofa, Christopher on the armchair and Rory on the floor.

"So, how's school going?" Christopher asked before he took a sip from his beer.

"It's great. I got an A in my history paper last week and I'm working for the Chilton Newsletter now."

"Wow, that's my kid. This is good for your college application. They love such stuff."

"I know." Rory nodded smiling, then she added. "There's just this one girl, her name is Paris, she works there too and she's making my life hell."

"Why?"

"Because I'm 'the new girl', from Stars Hollow?" She told him, making quotation marks.

"If that would be a reason."

"It is. Anyway, she can't stand me and we have fights all the time about things you wouldn't believe."

"Seems like I have some kind of a 'Paris' too in my life." Luke mumbled so that only Lorelai could hear it. She was leaning against his body, head resting in the crook of his shoulder.

"What?"

"Taylor. He's pissing me off constantly."

"So, Taylor is your Paris?"

Luke just nodded. "Yep."

"If you have Taylor, then I have Michel. He's annoying too." Lorelai told him in a matter of fact, running her fingertips up and down his thigh while they were talking.

"You can't compare Michel to Taylor."

"Why not?"

"Taylor is worse."

"You're not working with Michel, my friend. Otherwise you wouldn't say something like that." She tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "Or does Taylor curse at you in a language that's not english?"

"Uh, no. But I wish he would. I could just tune out and pretend that he's not there and not talking to me." Luke silently answered and rested his head back on the sofa."

"If only it would be that easy." Lorelai rolled her eyes and settled back against him before her eyes wandered over to Rory. "What?"

"You two are just too cute for words." Rory told her mother, grinning.

"What? Why?"

"Nevermind." Rory shook her head. Then she turned back to Christopher.

"I think everyone has such a person in its life. Hey, Lorelai. Do you remember when we've been at that summer camp?"

"Uh..." No, not some old stories please. This isn't good.

"There was this guy. I think his parents were friends with our parents. What was his name?" He paused to think for a moment. "Doug. Dougy. Dig..."

"Digger." Lorelai corrected.

"Yes, Digger."

"Digger? What kind of name is that?" Rory asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was just his nickname. Do you remember him, Lor?"

"Vaguely." Lorelai answered shortly. She sure as hell didn't want to talk about her teenage years right now. Her teenage years where she's been with Christopher.

"Man, he was such a loser."

"Mom, I didn't know you've been camping?" Rory asked in curiosity..

"It was a summer camp. We slept inside though, not in tents." Lorelai explained half laughing. "Gee, I'd totally freak out if there'd be ants or spiders around me."

"Yeah, your mother never was that much of a nature girl. So camping outside wouldn't be her thing." Christopher grinned at Lorelai. "Actually, I just don't get the whole camping thing anyway."

"Luke likes camping." Rory threw in and Luke gave her a small smile.

"Yeah?"

"Yes." Lorelai nodded and turned her head to Luke, smiling. "My nature boy."

"Then tell me, Luke, what's so great about going camping? Because I'd think it's the most boring thing ever."

Luke stayed silent for a few more seconds, studying the man across the table. Then he simply said. "It's not everybody's thing."

"Yeah, I figured. But what do you go camping for?"

"For taking a break."

"From what? From Lorelai? Yeah, she can be a handful from time to time." Christopher laughed, taking another sip from his beer.

"I didn't say that, did I?" Luke gave him a hard glare.

"No, but it sounded like that."

"Then you got that wrong, _buddy_."

"Guys, easy." Lorelai chimed in, rubbing Luke's thigh.

"Sorry, I was just asking. Didn't know your guy's that sensitive."

Luke opened his mouth to say something but stopped because he sure as hell didn't wanna start something that he'd might regret later. Instead, he got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Luke..." Lorelai started as he walked away. Giving Christopher one last glare, she got up and followed Luke out of the room.She stopped at the doorway and watched him opening the fridge and closing it again. "Hungry?"

Luke turned around. "No."

"I'm sorry. Christopher can be stupid sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"Most of the time. Look, he didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah, sure." Luke snorted out a laugh. "I'm going upstairs. I don't feel like having another conversation with that guy."

"You could go and fill some water into the tub. I'll be upstairs in a few minutes."

"Yeah?"

"Just need to throw him out." Lorelai grinned and pointed into the living room. "Decently of course."

"Of course." He gave her a small smile and walked with her back into the living room. "Night guys."

"Night, Luke."

"Night." Christopher frowned. "He's already going to bed? It's not even nine yet."

"Look, you need to go now. Luke has to get up early tomorrow and so do I." Lorelai told him, holding his gaze.

He looked at her for a moment. "Sure. I won't bother you any longer." He got up and collected his things. When he felt a little dizzy, he continued. "Hey Lor, you think there's some room available at your Inn? I don't think I can drive anymore. Too much beer." He pointed with his thump at the bottles on the living room table.

"Oh, uhm... let me go and call Michel."

"Thanks."

"Dad, I'm heading to my room now. I'm having a test tomorrow morning and I need to check some notes before I'm off to bed." Rory walked to her father and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye dad. I had a nice day."

"Me too. Bye." He smiled and watched as she disappeared in her room. Then he plopped down on the sofa, emptying his bottle of beer in one big sip.

"Michel, it's me. I need to know if..."

"Hold on a second." Michel interrupted her and continued to talk to one of the guests.

Frowning, she sat down on the sofa next to Chris. "Uh, Michel? Hello?"

"What's wrong?" Chris asked as he noticed the confusion on Lorelai's face.

"He just..."

"Lorelai?" Michel threw in, sounding a little stressed out.

"Yeah, look can you tell me if..."

"I can't talk right now. Call you back later." And a second later all she could hear was the disconnected sound on the other side of the line.

"And now he just hang up on me. Can you believe it?"

"You were right before. He _is_ annoying." Christopher laughed and rested one arm on the back of the sofa, looking at her more intently.

"You thought I was lying?"

"I thought you were exaggerating."

"Who? Me?" Lorelai grinned. "Never."

"Nooo, of course not. Don't forget how long we know each other."

"I'm not the same like I was with 16. I've changed." Lorelai said, still clutching the phone in her hand.

"The hell you did. You're even more beautiful than you've been back then."

"Charmer." Lorelai said, rolling her eyes but still smiling.

"Don't say that you don't like that." He gave her his best smile and slowly shifted a little closer.

"Every woman would be lying if they'd say they don't."

"See." He started to run his finger up and down her forearm. "And it works like a charm."

"Yeah. Totally." Lorelai mumbled, not quite aware of what he was doing because she desperately tried to reach Michel at the Inn. "Come on. Pick it up, dude."

"Busy?"

"Or lazy. You never can be sure about that."

"Nice employees you've got there."

"Yes. I'm so proud." Lorelai laughed but suddenly froze when she noticed what Christopher was doing on her arm.

"I can imagine." He smiled. "I think it could have worked out, you know?"

"Worked out?"

"You and me."

"What? What are you talking about?" She shook her head, half laughing.

"About us. You and me. And Rory. It could have worked out. Or, it still could."

"Christopher, I..."

"Oh come on, Lor. Don't tell me you don't feel it. It's still there."

"There?" She laughed nervously, her eyes fell on his fingers on her arm. _What the hell was he trying_?

What both didn't notice was Luke standing on the top of the stairs, witnessing the scene between them. He came to look for her and tell her to come upstairs before the water gets cold again.

But as he was standing there, looking at them, he suddenly realized what he should have known all along. You can't compete with a woman's first love and the father of her child. And realizing this, made his heart almost explode because he knew he'd lose the best thing that ever happened to him.

Silently, he backed up the stairs, turned off the lights in the bathroom and headed straight to bed. 

"Okay, see. I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about this." Christopher moved closer and right before his lips could meet hers, she placed her palm on his chest and pushed him back. Before she could say anything, the phone went off and she took the call.

"Michel, finally." She started and walked into the kitchen. "I just wanted to know if there are rooms available. I'd need one for a friend of mine. Yes, for tonight."

As it happened, the Inn was full. No rooms available for the night. And since Lorelai couldn't throw him out like this, she allowed Christopher to crash on her sofa. Just for one night. It's no big deal, right? Neither of them talking about what _almost_ happened.

After saying good night, Lorelai headed upstairs. Walking into the bathroom, she noticed the tub full of water - cold water. And it was then, that she realized how long Luke must have been waiting for her. Sighing, she switched off the lights and walked into her room, where Luke was already laying in bed, turned away from her. After slipping into her pjs, she crawled into bed, shifting her body close to his so that she was resting against Luke's back.

"Luke?" She whispered into his ear but got no reaction, so she figured that he might already be asleep, considering how tired he had looked before. She carefully slipped an arm around his waist and resting her hand on his bare chest as she nuzzled his neck and placing a soft kiss on his shoulder. "Night."

Luke was just lying there, pretending to be asleep. But his eyes were open and he was staring into the dark room. He didn't wanna go to sleep because he was afraid of waking up and facing the next day. He was afraid of losing everything. Everything he ever wanted...

* * *

****

To be continued...

Please, leave me a comment. Thanks. )


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

The next morning when Lorelai woke up she was alone, the space next to her was empty and cold. It wasn't often that Luke was able to sneak out of bed without Lorelai noticing it, so either she had been in a really deep sleep or Luke has been really quiet not to wake her up.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she slowly sat up, pondering about getting up and having some coffee or spending another hour in bed. But no, she couldn't deal with a cranky Michel at the first day of her week so this wasn't an option. Stretching her arms above her head, she decided to get up. With her eyes half closed, she crawled out of bed and slipped into her morning robe before she shuffled out of the room and down the stairs.

Only when her eyes roamed her living room and she noticed the folded blanket on the back of the sofa, she remembered the events of the previous day. Christopher. She remembered that he let him sleep at her place. Remembered that they talked and that Christopher had tried to... She immediately shook her head to get those thoughts out of her head. Okay, let's not go there. What was he thinking anyway? He knew that she was with Luke but he didn't seem to care and that was what bugged her the most. Trying something even though he knew that Luke was upstairs. Waiting for her. In her bed.

That simple thought made her anger come back again. She wanted to talk with Christopher about what happened, telling him what the hell he was thinking, but on the other hand she simply hadn't the nerve to deal with any of this. Not today. Not now. Not with no coffee in her blood system.

She felt a rush of relieve washing over her as she noticed that Christopher wasn't there anymore. And just to make herself hundred percent sure, she peeked out of the window and smiled when she didn't see his car outside either. Thank god.

As she shuffled into the kitchen to make some coffee, she noticed a small note on the kitchen table. Picking it up she started to read.

_Hey Lor, _

_Thanks for letting me crash on your sofa. I really appreciated that. _

_I'm having a business meeting in Hartford at 8.30am. _

_Wanna meet later today? Call me. _

_Chris_

Blowing out a breath, Lorelai rumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the bin before she turned to fill the coffee maker with coffee.

_Meeting him. Yeah sure. What is he thinking? _

A second later, she heard a door open and Rory came out of her room, already clad in her Chilton uniform and struggling to stuff a book in her already overloaded backpack.

"Morning." Lorelai mumbled, taking a quick glance at her daughter, slightly amused. "How about leaving some books at home?"

"Haha. I need them."

"You don't need about 15 books. And if so I have to have a talk with Headmaster Charleston and tell him about the back problems you're going to have in a few years because of that tons you have to carry every day which is also known as your backpack."

Rory rolled her eyes and walked to the cupboard to get two mugs. "Those aren't only school books."

"Ha, I knew it."

"Yeah, so what?"

"Nothing hun." She poured her daughter a cup of coffee.

"Good." Rory made a few sips and set the cup back on he counter. "Wish me luck for my test because I'm going to need it."

"Aww, don't say that. You'll do great. Like always." She gave her daughter a smile and emptied her cup with one big gulp. "Mhhh, so good."

"Luke's is better."

"Oh yes. Luke's coffee is better." She paused. "Hey, let's stop at his Diner and get another cup."

"I can't. I don't wanna be late for school." Rory grabbed her backpack and threw it on her back.

"Oh, okay."

"And mom?"

"Yeah?"

"It was nice seeing Dad again. I kinda missed him."

Lorelai smiled. "I know you did."

"Luke wasn't that thrilled about the rest of the day, was he? I just thought it would be nice to spend the evening together. The four of us."

"I know hun. It's okay. Luke wasn't mad, just tired." Lorelai said, giving her daughter a reassuring smile.

"Okay. I gotta go now. Bye mom." And with that she hurried out of the house.

* * *

An hour later, Lorelai made her way to Luke's, wondering what Luke is going to say about Christopher spending the night or if he even noticed. Well, of course he noticed. He must have been blind, not seeing Christopher sleeping on the sofa on his way out. So yes, Luke knew it.

Sighing, she opened the door of the Diner and immediately noticed that the morning rush was already over and the Diner was pretty empty. Just a young couple was sitting on a small table at the window, chatting while having coffee. Pete was standing behind the counter, making a fresh pot.

"Hey Pete." Lorelai started once she approached the counter, placing her purse on one of the stools.

Moving around, Pete gave her a smile. "Hi. Coffee?"

"Do you really need to ask?" She gave him a grin. Then her eyes wandered around, looking for Luke but he wasn't there. "Is Luke upstairs?"

"No." He filled some coffee in a to go cup and handed it to her. "He left about an hour ago."

"What?"

"He's out of town." Pete told her again, holding her gaze for a moment before he pointed at the plate of Doughnuts. "Want one?"

Shaking her head, Lorelai blinked twice. "Luke is out of town?"

"That's what I've said." Pete shrugged.

"Okaaaay. And where did he go? I mean, we've spent the whole weekend together and he didn't tell me anything about it." She paused for a moment. "Did something happen?"

"No. He's just picking up the stove we've been ordering last week. The old one is a pain... well, thing was that we agreed about shipping but today he was telling me that it's stupid to pay that much money when he can pick it up himself. So he climbed into his truck and left. And since he wasn't in the best mood, I didn't wanna argue with him."

"Okay." Lorelai took a deep breath, trying to understand what Pete was telling her. Trying to process. And most of all, why didn't he say anything to her? Damn you Luke for not having a cell phone. "Do you happen to know where he went?"

" Maine ."

" Maine ." Lorelai repeated before she let out a small sigh.

"He'll be back in a few hours."

"Yeah, I know. It's just... I really wanted to talk to him." She paused, looking at Pete. "Can you tell him to call me when he's back?"

"Sure. Did you two have a fight?"

"No. Why?"

"Because of his bad mood. Then there was something else that was bugging him."

"Maybe." Lorelai thought for a moment, blowing out a breath. She grabbed her to-go cup and her purse to leave.

"Hey, no breakfast?"

"No thanks." She walked to the door. "Don't forget to tell him to call me." And with that she left, leaving the bells above the door to jingle.

* * *

It was early afternoon, when Lorelai came out of her office after doing hours of paperwork to distract herself. It didn't really work but the pile of paperwork that was waiting for her was too big to overlook it. And even though her mind was constantly wandering off, she was getting done with the most of it.

Stepping out of her office, Lorelai approached Michel behind the counter of the front desk. "Any calls for me?"

Michel looked up from what he was doing and answered shortly. "No."

"You sure?"

"Well, let me think." He paused. "Yes, I'm sure."

Lorelai groaned as she was looking at the clock on the wall behind her. It was almost 3pm and if Luke left town early that morning to pick up a stupid stove, he definitely should be back by now even if he was stuck in traffic for a while. Hesitantly, she reached for the phone and dialed the number she already knew by heart.

"Hey, it's Lorelai. I just wanted to check if... He's not? Okay. Did he call? ... Okay, yeah I know. Traffic... maybe. Tell him... thanks, Pete. Yeah. Bye." Heaving out a sigh, she dropped the phone back on the cradle.

"The Diner owner is missing?"

"Luke's not missing."

"Is he there where he is supposed to be?" Michel looked at her and noticed her angry look. "Just asking." He shrugged nonchalantly before he turned back to his work.

Narrowing her eyes, Lorelai gave him a sharp look and headed straight into the kitchen.

"Sookie. Coffee."

"Ready and waiting." She told her friend without looking up, continuing to chop the vegetables for her famous soup.

Lorelai grabbed the biggest cup she could find and filled it with coffee. Sipping it, she stared on the floor in front of her, obviously lost in thoughts.

Sookie noticed the unusual quietness of her friend and continued. "So, everything okay?" But when she didn't get an answer at all, she stopped and turned to look at her. "Lorelai?"

Getting pulled out of her thoughts, Lorelai looked up, slightly confused. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yes, I'm okay."

"Really? So tell me about yesterday. How was your day with Luke?" Sookie asked, a big smile on her face.

"My day... yes, it was nice."

"Nice? Just nice? C'mon, you spent a whole day with that sexy flannel wearing guy named Luke, so tell me more about it. Even juicy details." Sookie wiggled her eyebrows in excitement.

"Sookie!"

"No juicy details?" Sookie's face fell, a frown appearing on her forehead. "How's that possible. Was Rory...?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Christopher showed up."

"Christopher? _Your _Christopher?" Sookie asked, her eyes wide and one hand on her hip.

"He's not _my_ Christopher, Sookie."

"Oh. Sure. Of course not. Luke wouldn't be so happy about that, huh?"

"Probably not."

And when Sookie noticed Lorelai looking down on her feet, she immediately knew that something must have happened yesterday. Something bad. Putting the knife on the counter, she fully turned to her friend and started to speak, her voice full of concern. "Lorelai, what happened?"

"Do you really wanna hear it?"

"Well, I just asked so yes, I guess I do."

Taking a deep breath, Lorelai started to tell her friend everything what happened the other day. Of Luke fixing her car, their picnic at the lake and when it started to rain. When she came to that part with Christopher not being very friendly to Luke, Sookie frowned and crossed her arms above her chest. But she couldn't remain calm when Lorelai told her what else happened while she was trying to call Michel.

"_What_?" Sookie shrieked, causing her kitchen help to look up from what they were doing.

"Shh, Sookie."

"Sorry. What?" She said again, this time almost whispering.

"Don't worry. Nothing happened."

"Yeah, I'd hope so. I mean, how can he try to kiss you even though he knows that you're with Luke now? This is... I don't believe this. I mean, Luke was upstairs right? Waiting for you in your bed and..."

"Sookie, calm down."

She was breathing heavily, clutching her heart. "What a jerk. The next time I see him, you can be sure that I'll kick his sorry little ass." She met Lorelai's eyes. "You kicked him out of your house right after that, right?"

"Uhm... "

"Lorelai?"

"Actually, I let him crash on our sofa because Michel told me there were no free rooms at the Inn and so I didn't..."

"Lorelai!"

"What? He's a friend so it was no big deal."

"Oh it was, after he was trying to hit on you. What did Luke say about all this?"

"I don't know." Lorelai shifted with her feet, looking down.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean that I don't know. When I came upstairs he was already asleep and when I woke up this morning he was already at the Diner."

"You should talk to him because you can be sure that he saw Christopher sleeping on your sofa on his way out."

"I know." Lorelai sighed.

"Talk to him, as soon as possible."

* * *

It was almost dark outside when Lorelai walked home from work. Since she got no call from Luke, she thought that it might be a good idea to do some extra work at the Inn, do some calls and finish the paperwork that was waiting on her desk. Even though she was wistfully wishing for Luke to call, it was Christopher who rang through asking to have coffee with her. But since she had absolutely no intention of meeting him, she told him that it's a bad time because she's stuffed with work. He even suggested to stop by the Inn but Lorelai told him that this wasn't a good idea either. She wasn't sure if Christopher figured that she made all those excused because she wanted to get rid of him and honestly, she didn't mind.

Passing Luke's Diner, Lorelai stopped when she noticed Luke's truck parking on the other side of the street. So he was back, she thought and took a deep breath. Turning to the Diner, she saw that the lights were still on but the sign on the door told her that it was closed.

She straightened her shoulders and walked up the stairs to the Diner, hesitantly reaching for the doorknob. Luckily, the door wasn't locked so she opened it and stepped inside.

When Luke heard the bells of the door, he came out of the storeroom where he was unpacking some boxes. "For Christ's sake, it's closed." He grumbled but stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Lorelai standing at the door.

"Hey." She almost whispered, looking at him for a moment before she broke his gaze and looked at her feet.

"Hi." Luke watched her from behind the counter, his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, his stare blank.

"I'm sorry, I... I saw the lights and so I figured that..." Lorelai said, almost stammering.

"It's okay."

She lifted her head to look at him. "So, you're back."

"Yeah, apparently."

Lorelai remained silent for a moment. "When did you come back?"

"Uhm..." Luke glanced at his watch. "About an hour ago, I guess."

"But didn't Pete tell you to call me?"

"He did." He paused, watching her. "I was just busy with closing up and everything."

"Oh, okay."

"In fact, I still am." He pointed into the direction of the storeroom, his face expressionless.

"Luke, can I..." Lorelai started and slowly approached the counter.

"I already cleaned the coffee maker."

"I don't want coffee." She immediately told him, clutching the counter in front of her. "I wanted to talk to you."

"I think there's nothing to talk about. Look, I really have to..."

"It won't take long."

"Lorelai, I don't..."

"Don't be like that, Luke. If it's because Christopher was spending the night at my place, then I'm sorry okay? I wanted to tell you yesterday but you've already been asleep."

"Look, I'm tired and I don't wanna talk about this now."

"But I do. I was waiting to tell you about it the whole day because it was bugging me, okay? And what a nice surprise when I came into the Diner this morning and Pete was telling me that you are out of town. And I didn't even know about it."

"I didn't know I have to give account for what I'm doing or where I'm going."

This statement was a direct stab into her heart. Lorelai felt tears welling up into her eyes. "I'm your girlfriend, Luke."

"Are you? Are you my girlfriend?" Luke asked, his voice cold and cranky.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lorelai looked at him but when she didn't get an answer, she continued. "Okay, I can't recall if I did anything else to piss you off, so I'd appreciate if you tell me so I know why you're acting like that."

But Luke just grabbed a towel and started to clean the counter.

"Luke. Talk to me!"

Looking up, he propped his palms on the counter in front of him, pinning her gaze. "I shall talk to you? You want to know why I'm acting like this? I can tell you. I saw you. I saw you with Christopher yesterday and..."

"What?"

"Yes, I saw you when I came downstairs to get you. You where sitting with him on the sofa. Talking and flirting. And you know what? All of a sudden I didn't wanna take a bath with you anymore. Funny, isn't it?"

"There was no flirting, I was just trying to..."

"Oh come on. I know what I saw. He twisted you around his little finger like he always does when he shows up here, with all his sweet talking and trying to be charming. God, you even let him touch you." Luke told her, raising his voice with every word.

"No, it wasn't like that."

"Yeah, sure. It's never how it looks like." Luke snorted, shaking his head in disbelieve. "But you know what? Be with him. Be with him and Rory, and then you can have the package you always wanted. Good luck with that." He walked to switch off all the lights.

"No no. Luke, I..." Lorelai grabbed his arm when he made his way to the staircase.

"I don't wanna talk about this anymore because it pisses me off. I thought we could be together but what can I say. Just my luck." He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a bunch of keys. Placing them into her palm, he continued. "Lock the door on your way out." And with that, he disappeared behind the curtain and stormed upstairs to his appartment.

* * *

**To be continued... **

_Thanks for still reading my story. And did you notice? A faster update, wasn't it:P_

_Please leave me a review. Thank. ) _


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: First of all, I'm so sorry and I feel really bad for not updating that long. I didn't plan to, that's for sure. Some stuff happened in my life, bad stuff, so writing wasn't really my first priority. I hope you understand that. But now I'm back with a new chapter. Hope you like it. :) _

* * *

**  
Chapter 28 **

"Luke, let me explain. Please." Lorelai had called after him but he was already upstairs, shutting close his door rather loudly. Lorelai flinched at that, tears welling up in her eyes as she decided what to do. She wanted to run after him, telling him what really happened with Christopher but she couldn't move. She was still standing in the middle of the Diner, clutching the bunch of keys Luke had given her and stared at the curtains that separated the Diner and his private place. She swallowed multiple times, eyes blinking rapidly to prevent her tears from falling. Taking a deep breath, she turned on her heels and decided to leave. She hurried down the street into the direction of her house. And now she couldn't fight it anymore. Tears started to fall, leaving wet trails on her cheeks. Rapidly, she walked further. All she wanted was to go home. That was all she could think about.

Entering her house, she closed the door behind her before she leaned against it. Her blank stare and her eyes wet from crying. Only when Rory had asked her if she was alright, her shoulders straightened.

"I'm fine." She sniffled a few times, avoiding her daughter's gaze.

Rory eyed her suspiciously but continued. "I ordered food. You want some?"

"No, I uhm… I gotta go upstairs. Tough day, you know? 'Night." And with that Lorelai hurried upstairs. Falling onto her bed, she couldn't stop her tears from falling again. But it didn't matter. She didn't care.

How could this happen? As much as she fought against it, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about Luke's expression. How he was looking at her. Disappointed. And it hurt her a lot that apparently he didn't trust her. At least not enough. How could he assume that she wanted to go back to Christopher after everything that happened between them?

When she heard a soft knock on her door, she immediately cleared her throat and wiped at her wet cheeks. "Yeah?"

Rory peeked inside. "Mom? Are you okay?"

"I… I told you I'm fine. Really, I…" She got up and walked to her closet. "I'm just really tired. Lots of work at the Inn today and Michel wasn't helping at all. I ended up doing everything on my own. Yeah, gotta love my job."

Rory waited a heartbeat before she continued. "Look at me. Mom?"

Hesitantly, Lorelai turned to her daughter and it was more than obvious that she'd been crying. Her eyes red and puffy.

"You've been crying. Why have you been crying?"

"Because…" She sighed, letting her shoulders fall. "Luke and I had a fight."

"Oh no, I'm sorry."

Lorelai shrugged, looking down at her feet.

"What was the fight about?"

"It doesn't really matter." Lorelai shook her head. "It was stupid. _I_ was stupid and…"

"Everything's going to be okay. You'll see."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"What are you talking about? Remember how many times you two had a fight in the past and you _always_ made up. It will be the same now."

"No, it won't."

"Mom..."

"Rory, it's not the same and do you know why? It's not the same because Luke and I were friends back then, okay? Now we were fighting as a couple. That's a difference."

"Yeah okay, it is. But maybe it's a good difference."

Lorelai lifted her head to meet her daughter's eyes. "I don't think so."

She knew that Rory was just trying to cheer her up and under different circumstances she'd really appreciate that but not now. Grabbing a shirt and sweatpants, she left the room. "I really don't think so."

* * *

Lorelai was almost asleep when she felt someone tugging at her hair. As she opened her eyes, she saw Luke kneeling next to her, switching off the TV.

"You're home late, burger boy." She said yawningly, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Sorry, tough evening."

"What time is it?"

Glancing at his watch, Luke told her whispering. "Almost 11pm ." He bent forward to give her a quick peck on her lips. When he started to pull back, Lorelai threw her arms around his neck to hold him close.

"More." She mumbled and met his lips in another kiss. "More."

Grinning, Luke settled himself on top of her, propping his elbows on either side of her head before he bent down to kiss her again. Her lips. Her chin. And further down her neck.

"Mhhhh."

"You like that?" He mumbled against her skin and played with his tongue on the spot behind her ear.

"God, yeah. I… I love that." Lorelai closed her eyes and turned her head back to give Luke better access for what he was doing.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"It certainly looks like that."

And all of a sudden, something felt wrong. Really wrong. And as she opened her eyes it wasn't Luke who was kissing her, but Christopher. She immediately pushed him back and noticed Luke watching them from a few feet away, his look a mixture of anger and disappointment. "Luke…"

But he just turned and walked away.

"Luke, don't go. Luuuke…." Lorelai called after him but he kept walking away from her. "Luke…" She tried to reach out for him, holding him back but she couldn't. She couldn't move and a few seconds later, he was gone.

Lorelai woke up with a start, breathing heavily. Looking around, she remembered where she was and that she had been dreaming. Jesus, and what a dream that was. Unbelievable. Wasn't it enough that bad things happened in real life? She certainly didn't need them in her dreams too. Closing her eyes again, she ran her fingers over her tired face before she turned to her alarm clock. 3:10am, awesome. Still in the middle of the night. Looking at the spot beside her, the sadness inside her deepened. She should have talked to him back at the Diner. She should have followed him upstairs instead of leaving things between them like that. Grabbing the phone from her nightstand, she started to dial Luke's number but she immediately stopped as she realized how late it was and that Luke would probably had to get up in about two hours. Hesitantly, she dropped the phone back on the cradle. Damn it.

* * *

In the next couple of days, Lorelai tried to avoid the Diner whenever possible. Of course she missed Luke's coffee and his breakfast in general but she thought that it would be wise to stay away from the Diner. At least for a little while. There were nights, when she was sitting alone in her bed, where she thought about calling him. Calling him, tell him she was sorry and that they could talk it all out. But the longer she waited, the more she lost the guts to do so. She couldn't forget the hurt and angry expression on Luke's face when they last saw each other at the Diner the other day. And she couldn't even blame him.

It was lunchtime when Lorelai entered Doose's market. Taylor lifted his head and watched her walking straight to the shelves with coffee but he didn't say anything and continued reading the magazine he was hiding whenever a customer entered. He noticed that something was wrong with Stars Hollow's most famous couple because he didn't see Lorelai at the Diner for days and Luke was in an awful bad mood when he was working. Words spread fast in a small town, that was for sure.

When Lorelai found the coffee she was looking for, she turned into another aisle but stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Luke, filling his basket with blueberries. Lorelai's heart started to race. It was the first time she was seeing him in days and it didn't remain unnotice by her that he looked a little tired himself. So maybe she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep at night. Slowly, Lorelai walked over to him.

"Luke."

He immediately turned, meeting her eyes. It took him a while to respond. "Hey."

For a moment they just stood there, looking at each other and blocking the way for other customers. But then Lorelai broke the silence. "How... how are you?"

"Fine, I guess. You?"

"Honestly? It could be better." Lorelai gave him a sad smile before she motioned to the fruits in his basket. "What's wrong with your fruit guy? Striking?"

"Something went wrong with my order yesterday."

"I see." She paused, then gave him a smile. "Blueberry pancakes, huh?"

"Yeah. Look, I really have to get back to the Diner. People want to eat." Luke told her, nonchalantly.

"Oh, okay."

"Bye." He looked at her for a moment, then nodded before he went to the register to pay. Without turning back, he grabbed his bag and left.

* * *

"Luke, wait." Lorelai called after him, trying to follow him with her brand new shoes which was better said than done.

"Lorelai, I told you that I have to get back to work." Luke's voice showed a hint of anger.

"I know. I know." She stopped and winced as she was looking down on her shoes. "It's just… I really wanna talk to you."

"We just did, didn't we?"

"Yeah, that was really nice in there but I don't want it to be like that. 'Hey, how was your day?' 'Good, thanks.' 'Yeah, well. See ya.' 'Bye.' It's like talking to someone because you _have to_ and not because you _want to_."

"So, what do you wanna talk about then?"

"About us."

"Us?" Luke snorted and shook his head. "Yeah, sure. I don't know what's there to talk about."

"I get that I'm not your favorite person in the world right now but if you'd just give me a chance to explain." She paused and waited for Luke's answer but when he remained silent, she continued. "I know I made a mistake by letting Christopher stay over night but I swear to god, nothing happened. You have to believe me. And… and now he's gone anyway. He asked me to be with him…" When she noticed Luke's sharp intake of breath, she immediately added. "…but I told him I'm not interested. I told him that right away but he wouldn't listen. Luke… I really wanna make this work between us. Please."

She saw the muscles in Luke's jaw clench before he lifted his head. "So, he's gone?"

"Yes." Lorelai nodded. "So, you think that…"

"Let's talk about this later. Kirk is watching the Diner and it's giving me an uneasy feeling."

"I get that. After work?"

"Yeah. I can probably close the Diner around eight."

"You wanna come over then?"

He answered, hesitantly. "Okay. I can do that."

"Good." Lorelai's mouth twitched into a small smile. "So, see you around eight then."

"Yeah. Eight." He returned her smile but immediately looked away again. "Okay, gotta go now. See you later."

"Bye." She watched him walk away, the smile on her face grew bigger every second. And her feeling told her that everything's going to be okay again.

* * *

It was almost eight when Lorelai stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom. She was wearing tight jeans and a cute top. Not to overdressed but still sexy in some kind of way. After dating Luke for a couple of weeks, she knew what he was going for. So this outfit would definitely work. Smiling, she turned around and tugged at her hair, running her fingers through her newly made curls. When she heard the doorbell ring, she took in a deep breath. After one last tug on her shirt, she hurried out of her room and down the stairs. She yanked the door open but her face fell whe she saw the person standing outside.

"Hey Lor."

"Christopher? What... what are you doing here?"

"You didn't take my calls so I thought I'd come and check on you. Wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I am. I am okay." Lorelai turned to peek at the clock in the living room. "Look, I don't have time for this now. You have to go."

"Oh come on. I was stuck in traffic on my way here, let me stay at least for half an hour, so that coming over wasn't at least a complete waste."

"No..." But with a blink of an eye Christopher brushed past her into the house. "Hey! I told you, you have to go."

"Just let me see Rory. Is she here?"

"No. No, she's not here. Christopher, seriously..."

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you have a date." When he noticed her look, he rose his eyebrows. "You do have a date."

"And that's why I want you to go. If you wanna talk to Rory, call her. She's staying at Lane's tonight."

"Oh, so you planned a romantic evening with your Diner Boy, did you?" Christopher grinned.

"So what if?" Lorelai grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the frontdoor. "Please go now."

"Why the hell are you so nervous right now? Ah, right. I know. You don't want him to see me, right?" Christopher laughed, looking at her. "I should've known he's the jealous type. He seemed like that the first time we met. All protective about his girl."

"Yeah, whatever." Lorelai opened the frontdoor and pushed him out. "Luke can't see you, so please do me a favor and go."

"Luke can't see me?" He asked. "Uh, well... I guess it's a little too late for that."

"What?" But then she saw him. At the bottom of her stairs was Luke, carrying a bag of food. Their eyes met and held for a moment before Luke shook his head and walked away, without saying anything.

"Luke, wait..." Lorelai rushed down the porch to stop him.

"I don't wanna hear it, Lorelai."

"No, please. Why does everything have to go wrong?" She said, groaning. "Luke..."

"Lorelai, I..." Christopher started.

"Just go already." Lorelai snapped without looking at him.

"Hey man, you can stay. I'm going." Luke said angrily and opened the door of his truck.

"Luke, no. I still want us to talk about this."

Luke threw a glare in Christopher's direction. "But I don't. Look, I knew it'd be a mistake to come over. You definitely proved me right."

"It wasn't a mistake..."

"And I still don't believe you lied to my face about Christopher being gone."

"I didn't lie to you. I swear, I didn't know he was coming. I refused to take his calls in the last couple of days, so I had no idea. I... I didn't want him to come."

"Whatever." And with that Luke climbed into his truck and drove away.

"Guess he wasn't worth it then, huh?" Christopher walked up behind her, touching her shoulder. "Stupid guy."

Taking a deep breath, Lorelai turned around, looking at him. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, whatever you want, Lor."

"Get out of my life."

"Lor."

"Don't talk to me again. _Ever_. " She punctuated every word. "I mean it." Giving him one hard glare, she walked back to her house, leaving Christopher behind.

* * *

**To be continued... **

In case there's still someone out there who's reading this, it would mean a lot to me if you'd leave a review. Thanks:)


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

The telephone next to her was ringing loudly and the intention of ignoring it, didn't seem to work at all. Lorelai hadn't slept during the night, too much thinking was going on in her head. Thinking she just couldn't stop. And now that she was finally able to drift off, the stupid phone wouldn't let her.

Groaning and without opening her eyes, she reached for the phone on her nightstand. After picking up, she mumbled an annoying, "What?"

"I'm so sorry. Did I wake you up?"

Without thinking twice, Lorelai knew who was on the other side of the line. His french accent unmistakable. "What do you think, Michel?"

"Well, considering the time of day..."

"Time of day? Time of day?" Lorelai asked twice before she could get herself to lift her head to blink at the clock on her nightstand. "It's after nine. You're acting like I'd be sleeping til noon ."

"It's nine, that's right but other people, like me, happen to be up since hours so I couldn't know that you're..."

"Michel, why are you calling?" Lorelai rolled on her back, sighing.

"To remind you we're having a staff meeting at 10. I just wanted to make sure you'd be here in time." He paused. "You're going to be here, right?"

"For gods sake. You're calling me because of a stupid staff meeting? Are you serious? I had a crappy night, so all I'm asking for is a little bit of sleep. And a staff meeting is certainly something you can handle yourself. At least, I'd expect that."

"Of course but..."

"Then why are we having this conversation?" When she didn't get an answer from Michel, she added a short. "Bye." And with that she ended the call and turned to her side, pulling the blanket up to her chin and trying to not think about the previous night.

* * *

_Later that afternoon_

Lorelai was in her office, working on some papers when she heard a soft knock on her door.

"Michel, what is it again?" She said without looking up.

"Hey sweetie." Sookie appeared at the door, smiling at her friend.

"Oh hey, Sook."

"You okay? You came in late today, so I got a little worried. Michel said you don't feel so good? What's wrong?"

Closing her eyes to take a deep breath, Lorelai settled back in her chair. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

Sookie eyed her friend suspiciously and immediately noticed that something was off. She closed the door behind her and waited a moment before she continued. "We both know that's not true. Come on, let's talk. I still have ten minutes before I have to get back into the kitchen and take my tarts out of the oven." Sookie pulled a chair up next to Lorelai. "So?"

Playing with the pen in her hand, Lorelai started to talk. "Luke and I are still fighting. No wait, he actually broke up with me. At least, I think so."

"What? Why would he do that?" Sookie waited for an answer but when she didn't get one, she continued. "Lorelai?"

"It's all because of Christopher. I told you he showed up the other day."

Sookie's face got serious when she remembered what Lorelai told her about Christopher hitting on her. "Yeah. And?"

"Everything got worse. I was about to make up with Luke yesterday. I asked him to come over to talk but then Christopher showed up again even though I told Luke that he'd be out of town already but then he saw him and..."

"Got mad."

"Something like that."

Sookie let out a sigh as she was studying her friend. "You people need to talk about this. Luke has to know what happened the other night."

"But nothing happened, I told you that."

"Don't tell _me_. Tell Luke, hon."

"I did but every time I tried talking to him he just walks away. He wouldn't listen."

"Then make him listen. We know he can be stubborn but for Christ's sake, he can't be that stupid to end things like that."

"I..." Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know what to do anymore. I don't wanna lose him, Sookie."

"You won't. You won't lose him."

"I'm not so sure about that. He seemed to be pretty determined yesterday. Maybe... maybe we weren't meant to be in the first place."

"Lorelai, don't say that."

"Maybe it's true. How is this relationship going to last if it can't even overcome a stupid thing like that?" Lorelai asked, tears welling up in her eyes but she tried to hold them back. "A fight about practically nothing."

"It wasn't nothing to him. He was jealous. You can't blame a man for being jealous, Lorelai. That's never going to change. And it just shows how much you mean to him."

"Maybe."

"Fights happen, Lorelai."

"I know."

"Jackson and I fight all the time."

"Not about something like that."

"No but about even more stupid things. You know, two days ago we had a fight because he brought strawberries instead of blueberries even though I told him the day before I'd need blueberries because Tuesday is blueberry muffins day and... "

"Sookie." Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "It's not the same."

"Okay, you're right. It's not. But hey, everything's going to be okay. You'll see." Sookie tried to give her a small smile as she was rubbing her arm. "Try to talk to him again."

Lorelai nodded hesitantly before she took a deep breath. "What about your tarts?"

"Oh my god. You're right." Sookie jumped up from her chair. "Oh god. Oh god. Oh god." At the door she turned. "Hey, you have to come taste them. I tried something new and I'm sure you like them. Lots of chocolate, cinnamon, rum..."

"Rum sounds good." Lorelai gave her friend a small smile.

"That's my girl. Come on." Sookie giggled and hurried into the kitchen.

* * *

It was a brisk night and the streets of Stars Hollow were empty and dark. Anywhere else, Lorelai would be too scared to walk alone through the streets of an almost dead town in the middle of the night. But not here. Not in Stars Hollow. Even though the darkness and the light of the street lamps caused the town to look different than in daylight, it was still the same. The town square with the Gazebo, Doosey's market, Westen's and Luke's.

Luke's.

Lorelai took a deep breath and stopped in front of the Diner. The blends were closed and everything was dark inside. She lifted her head to look up at Luke's apartment and noticed the light of his television flicker through the window. He must be awake, Lorelai thought and closed her eyes, thinking about what to do. She wanted to talk to him really bad. She wanted to make things right again between them.

Clutching her jacket tighter around her, she noticed that she still had the bunch of keys Luke gave her a week ago. Pulling them out of her pocket, she looked at them hesitantly.

_She can't, can she?_

Nibbling on her lower lip, she played with the keys in her hand. He'd probably get mad but what the hell. Luke was mad already so she had nothing to lose.

Slowly, she unlocked the door of the Diner and slipped inside, carefully closing the door behind. She made her way up to his apartment and to her surprise, she found that door unlocked. Inside, she noticed Luke half sitting, half lying on the sofa, his arm above his head and snoring softly. A bottle of beer was sitting on the table in front of him and the television was showing the results of the latest Baseball games.

"Luke?" Lorelai whispered and suddenly felt a little stupid for breaking into his apartment like that. She could already see him freak out when he wakes up and find her there. Making another step towards him, she accidentally pumped her toe on a box that was sitting in the middle of the room. "Damn it." She hissed, reaching down to rub her toe.

"What the..." Luke woke up with a start and frowned when he saw Lorelai standing in the middle of his apartment. "Lorelai?"

"Hi." She started uncomfortably, giving him an apologetic look.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He sat up and rubbed his tired face. "I thought I locked the Diner."

"You did." Lorelai told him, her eyes falling on the bunch of keys she was holding in her hand.

"Unbelievable." Luke lifted from the sofa as he was grabbing the bottle of beer and walked over to the kitchen.

"I know, I'm sorry. I... I came to your apartment and saw that some lights were on, so I thought you'd still be awake. And I wanted to talk to you, so I..."

"So you broke into my apartment?"

"I had a key. Is this still considered as breaking in?" Lorelai grinned, trying to lighten the mood but on the expression on Luke's face she could see that he was far from being amused. "Okay, I'm sorry."

"You already said that."

"I know, I uhm..." She paused. "We didn't get a chance to talk today, so maybe we can do this now? Please?"

"In the middle of the night? Lorelai, I'm tired."

"Okay, you know what? If _you_ don't wanna talk, that's fine. But I haven't slept in days because this thing between us... it's bugging me. A lot. And I don't want it to be like that anymore. There's so much I have to say to you. So if you don't wanna have a conversation with me, fine. But can you please give me the chance to explain myself? Please?"

Luke blew out a breath but didn't say anything.

"I uh... take that as a yes." She held his gaze for a moment. "Okay well, this thing yesterday with Christopher, you misunderstood the whole situation. I didn't know he was coming over and I didn't lie to you when I told you he'd be out of town because that's what I thought. I... I knew he was calling me for days but I never picked up the phone because I didn't wanna talk to him. I didn't wanna talk to him after what happened the other day. And yesterday, when I asked you to come over, I meant that. I wanted us to talk, make things right again. And when Christopher showed up, I told him to go but he figured you'd be coming over and, you know he's stupid and..."

"What about the other day?"

"The other day?"

"After we had dinner at your place. I saw what happened on your sofa..."

"No. Nothing happened, Luke. I told you that."

"So you seriously going to deny that you weren't flirting?"

"Look, I don't know what you saw but there was definitely no flirting."

"No, of course not." Luke snorted. "So it was all in my imagination. The way you've been looking at each other, talking about what could be, the way he was touching your arm and you didn't do anything about it? Sure, my imagination. Stupid me."

"I... okay, maybe he was flirting but I didn't flirt back. Why would I?"

"I don't know. You tell me?"

"I can't deny that he was hitting on me but I didn't even realize it until he was talking about us and being a family again. I pulled back then.You have to believe me. And you've been upstairs so..."

"What? So if I wouldn't have been upstairs you would have acted differently?"

"No, of course not. I'm just saying that I have no intention at all to have second thoughts about us because I'm with you. And when I told you back then I wanted to be with you, I meant it. And it seriously hurts me that you don't seem to have trust in me at all. I thought it'd be different with us because we've been best friends and we've known each other for years. Years, Luke. You've been the person I trusted the most. Whatever happened in my life, you were the person I was going to, to pour out my heart. If you wanted it, or not. And I thought you'd feel the same." She stopped to look at him.

"That's not what this is about."

"No? Of course it's about trust, Luke."

"No. It's about Christopher and it will always be about him."

"That's not true, so why are you saying this?"

"He'll come back, he'll tell you that he wants to be a family with you. He'll tell you how good it'll be for Rory and that it was always meant to be because you still love each other. And one day you'll realize that he's right and you'll go back to him because that's how it's supposed to be."

"I..." Lorelai felt tears welling up in her eyes. "No, that's not how it's supposed to be."

"Maybe you don't see it right now but you will."

"No, no I won't." She started sniffling and wiped away the tears that found their way down her cheeks. "You know what's funny? I always thought that you wanted this, _us_, as much as I do but apparently you don't because _I'm_ the one who's fighting for it. I thought that this thing between us could last _forever_. I... I already pictured a future with us together. I never did that before not even with Max. But here with us, I thought about if you're moving in with me or I'm moving in with you which would be a problem because of your small bed and then there's Rory too. But I thought about it. And then something like this happens and everything seems to fall apart. And the thing that hurts the most is that you apparently don't care. You don't care if it's over between us because you don't even fight for it. You don't even try to understand and let me make things right again." She paused for a moment, playing with the sleeves of her shirt. "I just don't get it. I don't get why you seem to be threatened by Christopher's presence when _you're_ the one I wanna be with. I love _you, _Luke and not Christopher. I thought that you know that because we had a pretty good time in the last couple of weeks. At least, I thought so. And I don't wanna lose you, Luke because you mean so much to me but this whole 'being jealous of Christopher' thing is so unnecessary. Really. Why can't you just see that?" She waited a heartbeat. "And now look how pathetic I am, begging my boyfriend to not break up with me."

Luke held her gaze, struck by what she was saying. He was trying to procress, trying to figure if he'd understand her right. And then he felt bad about himself because he hated seeing her like this. Crying and sad, and all because of him.

Lorelai looked at him for a moment but he remained silent. "Yeah, well... I gotta go. Sorry about all this." She threw the bunch of keys on the table and turned to leave.

"Lorelai..."

Before she opened the door, she turned. Even though she was blinking, she couldn't prevent her tears from falling down her cheeks. "What? Don't tell me to lock the door on my way out because this time you can do it yourself. Well... enough embarressement for me today, I have to get outta here." She turned the knob to open the door but suddenly felt Luke's hand on her shoulder.

He turned her around to look at him before he gathered her in his arms. Slowly, she allowed herself to slip her arms around his waist and clutched Luke's shirt, while she was sobbing against his chest.

"I don't wanna lose you either." Luke told her soflty, rubbing his hand up and down her back. "But when Christopher showed up, I felt like you'd be slipping away from me."

Lorelai eased back, looking at him with blurry eyes. "But I told you that..."

"I know. I know that now." He reached up and wiped away another tear that found its way down her cheek. "I'm sorry."

Lorelai threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer against her. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Luke breathed into her ear.

They stayed like this for a little while, just hugging each other as tightly as possible. Then Lorelai mumbled against his neck. "Does that mean we're okay now?"

"Yes. We're okay now."

Lorelai eased back to look at him, a smile appeared on her face. Hesitantly, she moved closer to place a soft kiss on his lips. "Good."

Luke nodded, his lips twitching into a small smile.

"It's late. I should go now."

"Can't you... stay?"

"If you want me to?"

"Yes. I'm sick of sleeping alone. I missed you lying next to me." Luke told her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So I assume I was not the only one with sleepless nights?"

Luke just shook his head.

"That's just fair." She grinned and made Luke roll his eyes.

"Probably."

* * *

**To be continued**

Still reading this? Then make me happy and leave a review. Hehe. 

Oh and please keep in mind to not mention any spoiler related stuff because I'm _spoiler-free_. Thankies. (


	30. Chapter 30

Wow, it feels like it's been ages. Or maybe it really has been. But I hope you understand that I lost my motivation after watching that season finale. And I'm not lying when I tell you that it broke my heart. Literally.

Okay, my motivation is not fully back yet. You may notice that by reading that chapter because I'm not really happy with it. I just didn't want to make you wait any longer, so I posted what I got. Please bear with me. I really hope that by the next chapter, my motivation is fully back again. :) And no matter what's going to happen, I'll definitely finish this story. I certainly won't abandon it. lol I promise.

Oh and the beginning of this chapter might be slightly **M-rated.** Just to be save, okay?

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 30 **

They've been lying in Luke's bed for a few minutes, neither of them saying anything. Luke was snuggled up behind Lorelai, pressing his body against her back. His arm found its way around her waist and rested softly on her belly.

"I love you too." Luke suddenly whispered next to Lorelai's ear and made her shiver. He had never said those words before.

Lorelai's lips twitched into a huge smile as she was taking a huge breath, running her fingers over Luke's forearm.

"I meant to say it earlier but…"

"I'm glad you said it now." Lorelai took Luke's hand and planted a kiss on his palm.

"You said it to me before and I didn't want you to think that I didn't notice it or that I couldn't…"

"Hey." Lorelai suddenly turned her head, facing him. Giving him a smile. "Don't."

"Don't... what?"

"Destroy this moment."

"Oh, okay." His eyes focused on hers. "I just wanted you to know that."

"I know it." She gave him a smile and pulled his arm tighter around her body. "And now let's go to sleep, 'k?"

"Okay." He paused. "Night."

"Good night."

A few minutes have passed but Luke still wasn't able to sleep. Too much thinking was going on in his head and he just couldn't stop it. All the words Lorelai had said to him earlier, still circled in his mind and gave him a pretty good feeling inside. Smiling, he breathed in the scent of Lorelai's shampoo. He missed that smell in the last couple of days. Missed her lying next to him in bed. Carefully, he moved his fingers to slowly open the buttons of the flannel, Lorelai was wearing. And while Luke started to nuzzle her neck, he felt her shifting and giggling as she noticed what he was doing. But she didn't say anything.

When Luke's hand came in contact with the skin on her belly, Lorelai let out a soft sigh but she immediately caught her breath when she felt Luke's fingers trailing down her body. Lower and lower, and caused Lorelai to take a sharp intake of breath when he reached a certain spot.

"Luke…" She managed to say, slowly starting to move her hips.

"Yeah?"

"I…I thought you're… tired."

"Not anymore."

"Uh-huh." She felt the heat rising inside her body while Luke was touching her.

"You want me to stop? Just say a word."

"No. God, no. It feels… so good." She let out a soft moan. "Don't… stop."

"That's what I figured." Luke whispered into her ear, smiling. He made her turn on her back to look at her. She grinned and bit her lower lip before she threw her arms around his neck to kiss him, her hips still swaying to the motion of Luke's hand. When he pulled back, she still had her eyes closed. But by the way she was breathing and contracting around his fingers, he felt she was close.

"Luke…"

"It's okay. Let it go."

"No, I… I…"

And when Luke saw the pleading look in her eyes, he knew what she wanted. He slowly removed his hand and moved to cover her body with his. Smiling, he bent down to brush his lips over hers and they finished what Luke had started….

* * *

**Next morning **

It was around 8am in the morning when Lorelai's cell phone went off. Luke tried to ignore it first but it wouldn't really work.

"Lorelai." He mumbled into his pillow and touched the spot next to him but found it empty. He lifted his head, looking around rather confused. "Lorelai? You're cell..."

Still no answer.

He spotted the cell phone on his nightstand. Pondering what to do, he reached over and flipped it open. "Yeah?" But the moment he had said it, the line went dead. Grumbling, he put it back and let himself fall on the pillows when he heard his apartment door open.

Silently, Lorelai walked inside and approached the bed.

"Hey, I thought you'd still be asleep." She started when she noticed that Luke was already awake.

"Your cell phone was ringing." Luke leaned against the headboard and rubbed his tired face before he met her eyes. "Where have you been?" He finally asked when he noticed that she was already dressed.

"Downstairs. Ordering breakfast." Lorelai said casually and sat down on the edge of the bed to slip out of her shoes. "Sorry about my cell. I forgot to turn it off last night."

"It's okay." He reached out and ran his fingers over her back what made her turn around and smile. "Ordering breakfast, huh?"

Lorelai's face broke into a grin. "Yes, there's a Diner down there, you know?"

"There is? Wow, that's handy. What's the Diner owner alike?"

"Hmm. I heard he's a very handsome guy. And I even heard that he's a great kisser. Not sure if that's true though." Lorelai bent down to give Luke a small kiss. When she wanted to break apart, Luke reached up and slipped his hand on the back of her neck to hold her down, prolonging the kiss for a few more seconds.

"Okay, the kissing thing is definitely true." She grinned. "Too bad he's taken, though."

"Mh-mhh." Luke grinned and reached out to play with a strand of her hair. He was so glad that everything was back to normal again. Fighting with her was the worst thing ever.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by a '_Room Service'_. Luke rolled his eyes what made Lorelai giggle.

"Be right back." She got up and hurried to the door to open it. "Wow, that was fast."

Pete was standing outside, holding a tray of food. "Put all other orders on hold and made yours first."

"Thanks." Lorelai grinned and took the tray Pete was handing her.

"You're welcome." He grinned back. "A man gotta have his priorities. And I didn't want you to starve either."

"Of course not."

"Pete, stop flirting with my girlfriend." They heard Luke calling from inside.

"Man, he's got good ears." Pete stated, half laughing. He glanced past Lorelai into the apartment before he met her eyes again. "So… I gotta go back downstairs. Have fun."

"Uhm, we're just going to have breakfast."

"Yeah, whatever." Pete gave her a wink before he turned and walked back downstairs.

Shaking her head, Lorelai shut the door close with her foot and walked back to the bed where Luke was still laying, his eyes closed.

"Pancakes or scrambled eggs?" Lorelai asked before she joined Luke on the bed.

"What about fruits or cereals? Something healthy."

"There are blueberries in that pancakes, if that makes you feel any better."

"Gee, you know how many calories these have? With all the sugar and stuff?"

"I don't know. How many calories did we burn last night? I'd say _a lot_. And we need to keep that in balance, right?" Lorelai shrugged, shooting him a grin.

He held her eyes for a moment. "You're unbelievable."

"I take that as a compliment." Lorelai giggled and handed him the plate with the scrambled eggs. "Here."

"You know, fruits are not so bad either."

"Covered with chocolate and cream. Yes, that's true." Lorelai mumbled, her mouth full of pancakes.

"God help me."

When Lorelai's cell phone went off again, she winced when she saw the caller ID. Hesitantly, she shoved it aside and continued eating her breakfast.

"Don't you wanna take that call?"

"Nope."

"Who is it?"

"No one important." When she noticed his look, she added. "My mother."

"Oh." Luke paused. "Well, maybe you should take the call."

"Uh… no."

"What if it's an emergency? It's possible that she was the one who called earlier."

"Then she could have left a message. This is just my mother annoying me on weekends. Nothing new. Tea?" Lorelai tried to chance the subject and pointed at the can of tea.

"Yeah." Luke grabbed a mug and held it out, waiting for Lorelai to fill it. "And what if not? What if something happened?"

"Luke please. Can we stop talking about my mother?"

"Okay, sorry." Luke eyed her for a moment before he took another bite of his eggs. He stayed silent for a little while, then he added. "Do you have the day off?"

Lorelai looked up from her plate and smiled. "I don't know. You?"

"I could if I wanted to."

"Ha, that's funny. Me too. Good thing being his own boss, huh?"

"Definitely." Luke nodded, holding her gaze.

"And… do you want to?"

"What?"

"Take the day off?"

"Yeah, I mean… we could do something together, if you want to."

"I'm pretty sure there are no events planned for this weekend, so it's okay to leave Michel alone at the Inn. Just have to call him to let him know. " Lorelai gave him a smile.

"Good, do that." Luke put the plate aside and crawled out of bed. "I'll go grab a quick shower."

"Okay." Lorelai gave him a kiss and watched him disappear in the bathroom. Smiling, she leaned back in her bed and reached for her cell phone but startled when it suddenly went off.

"Oh please, this is _so_ not happening." She muttered and already thought about turning her cell off completely but that'd be childish, wouldn't it? And maybe Luke was right after all and there really was an emergency. Exhaling deeply, she flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

"Lorelai, this is your father."

"Hey dad. What's going on?"

"I know it's early but your mother wanted me to call. She already tried it several times but said she couldn't reach you. So I tried it myself."

"Yeah sorry, we've been asleep."

"That's what I told her." He paused. "Lorelai, your mother wanted to invite you for Dinner tomorrow."

Lorelai sat up straight. "Dad, I don't think that..."

"I know you're still fighting but this can't be going on forever, Lorelai. You have to start talking to her again, sooner or later. It's inevitable."

_Later sounds nice_, Lorelai thought and rubbed her tired face. "I don't know, dad."

"Lorelai, please. If not for your mother, than do it for me. I can't stand it when she's having this bad mood. She fired three maids in one week. That's even a record for her."

Thinking for moment, Lorelai let out a sigh. "You said tomorrow?"

"Yes. Around seven."

"Fine, okay. I'll be there. But I don't know about Rory. She's having that study group tomorrow and..."

"Only you and Luke."

"Me and… Luke?"

"Yes. Your mother is still mad at me because I came to Stars Hollow and met him without telling her. Now she's feeling left out because no one introduced her properly to her daughter's new boyfriend."

"But didn't she tell you that she already met him? And believe it or not, but I'm still trying to forget about that day. It's one thing when she's insulting _me_ but it's a whole other story when it's Luke. He didn't do anything to deserve that."

"You know your mother, Lorelai. She tends to 'have her moments'. And whatever she said to Luke, I'm sure she didn't mean it like that."

Lorelai stayed silent for a moment. "Well, I'll ask him but can't promise anything."

"Thank you, Lorelai."

"Yeah…" She sighed and pinched the brick of her nose. "Bye, dad."

Luke came out of the bathroom, only clad in shorts and walked over to his closet to get some clothes. When he glanced over his shoulder to look at Lorelai, he frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Okay uhm, you might not like this." Playing with her cell phone, she avoided his gaze.

"Michel needs you at the Inn?" Luke asked as he slipped into a grey shirt.

She shook her head and slowly met his gaze. "No. My mother, she… invited us for tomorrow."

Luke blinked several times. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"I'd never joke about something like that."

"True." He shoved his hands over his face."Your parents don't like me. So why do they invite me?"

"My dad likes you. Remember when he came to the Diner a few weeks ago? That wasn't that bad. He even told me that he's happy for us."

"Well, maybe. But there's still your mother who hates me. That doesn't make it any better."

"I wouldn't say that she hates you, Luke. It's just like, she never agreed with any boyfriend I had. So don't take it personally."

"That's what you think." He thought for a moment. "Remember the last time I saw your mother? When she came to your house the other day? I shouted at her. Oh my god, I shouted at her because of the way she was treating you. Well, that was a perfect first impression, wasn't it?"

"Hey, _her_ first impression wasn't that great either." She slowly got out of the bed and walked over to him. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Luke snorted, looking at her. "Of course I have to."

"No, I just tell them you couldn't get away from the Diner. And that wouldn't even be a lie if you tell Pete to take the day off."

"Now, how does that look like, Lorelai? I can't do this." Luke shook his head, frowning. "And I don't want them to think that I'm avoiding them or something. Makes me look like a coward."

"Which you aren't."

"No, I'm not." Luke blew out a breath.

She looked at him, apologetically. "I'm sorry."

Looking up from his feet, Luke met her gaze. "So, Dinner with your parents."

"Yep." Lorelai slipped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. "Welcome to the family, baby."

**To be continued... **

* * *

In case there's still someone out there who's reading this. It would be nice to leave me a review. Thanks. :) 


	31. Chapter 31

_I'm still alive. Who would have figured. lol I have summer vacations now, which is of course, a good thing. Just finished the new chapter. Hope you guys like it!_

_Enjoy:)_

* * *

**Chapter 31**

„So, that's it?" Luke asked as he parked the truck in front of the Gilmore Mansion .

"Yep." Lorelai simply said, her eyes wandering over to the house and back to Luke. "That's it."

"It looks... huge and..." He stopped, leaning forward a little. "I just can't believe you grew up here."

"Yeah, me neither." Lorelai let out a small laugh. "The fact that I left as soon as possible proves that."

"Certainly. I just can't picture you living here. That's _so_ not you." Luke paused. "Do they have a butler? It looks like one of those houses who might have one. Like in some movies, you know?"

"No, no butler. They got a maid though. Actually, they must have had hundreds already. You know, my mother usual don't likes them, or they don't like my mother. I think it's mutual." She fumbled for the lipgloss in her purse. "Well, it's generally hard to please my mother because, _hallo_, I totally know that. Anyway, so if those maids are making just the tiniest of mistakes, like putting the fork on the wrong place..." Lorelai made a motion with her hand. "Over. Next one."

"Wow."

"Yeah, but maybe it's for their best anyway. I mean, I wouldn't like to work for my mother and stay there 24/7. Jump everytime she tells me to jump. Uagh, can you imagine?"

"That could get ugly."

"Totally. So yeah, besides their unusual overconsumption of maids, they also have a cook because can you imagine my mother standing in the kitchen? Cooking?" Lorelai snorted. "That would make a picture. Then there's a gardener sometimes and when I was little I had a Nanny."

"A Nanny?"

"Yeah. Well, actually I had some more because my mother fired them pretty easily. It was a disaster. Every time when I got used to one, _wham_, there was someone else. Sometimes I couldn't even say goodbye and next time when I woke up the other day, there was a stranger in my room. Don't let me tell you." She blew out a breath.

"I don't understand that." Luke mumbled, shaking his head before he turned his head back to her.

"What?"

"People who get kids but then those kids grow up with a Nanny. That's just wrong, don't you think? I mean, if you decide to have kids than you shouldn't push them aside and let a Nanny take care of them because your life's too busy. I don't understand that. And let me tell you something, _my_ kids won't grow up with a Nanny. Ever." He exhaled deeply.

"Uhm..." Lorelai blinked several times. _So he's thinking about kids? Interesting. _

When Luke realized what he just said, he swallowed and turned his eyes back to the house. "I was talking hypothetically."

"Okay."

"Just a possibility of what might happen in the future."

"Okaaaay." A slow smiled formed on Lorelai's lips. "I just never realized you're a person who wants to have kids."

"I know we haven't talked about it yet, so don't panic please. Okay? It was just a thought. And I certainly didn't mean to... "

"Relax, baby." Lorelai grabbed Luke's chin and turned his face back to her. Then she gave him a kiss. "Do you see me freaking out?"

"Not really." He blinked a few times before he took a deep breath. "What was that for?"

"Just for being you."

"Well then, you're welcome." Luke gave her a small grin before both got out of the car.

"Uhm, I don't mean to sound rude because we're not even in there yet but... how long are we planning to stay?" Luke asked as they approached the house.

"Not longer than necessary and hey, I like your thinking."

"Good. That's good." Luke paused a moment until they stood in front of the door. Then he let out a sigh. "God. Am I really doing this? I'm not even sure if I'm dressed right. Why didn't you make me wear a tie?" Panic flickered in his eyes as he looked down on himself.

"Don't worry, hon. You look good." She adjusted the collar of his shirt, smiling. "You look pretty hot actually."

"Lorelai..."

"What? I'm just saying." She shot him a grin before she took a deep breath herself. Then she reached out to ring the door bell. "Let's get it done and over with."

A moment later, the door opened and Richard met them with a smile. "You're here. Emily, they're here."

"Hi Dad." She gave her a father a small kiss on the cheek.

"I'm glad you could make it. Both of you." Richard turned to Luke, shook his hand.

"Mr. Gilmore." Luke said with a small nod as he stepped inside, slowly taking in the inside of the parlor.

"Call me Richard."

"Okay. _Richard_." Luke's face relaxed a little. "Nice to see you again."

A maid came out from the living room to take their coats, followed by Emily.

"Hello." Emily started, the smile on her face seemed a little forced as her eyes wandered from Lorelai to Luke. "I'm glad you came."

"Well, thanks for the invitation." Luke reached out to shake her hand but Emily turned to her husband.

"Richard, would you go and offer them drinks. I'll go and check on dinner. Something smells like it's burning and it better be not our roast."

"You heard her. Follow me." Richard simply said and walked over to the living room. "What would you like to drink?"

"Martini for starters, please." Lorelai grinned and turned to Luke.

"I'm taking a beer, if that's okay."

"Sure it is." Richard answered. "Yolanda?"

"Yes, Mr. Gilmore?" The maid hurried inside.

"Mr. Danes would like to have a beer."

"Of course." She nodded and hurried into the kitchen. A moment later she came back carrying a tray, with a bottle of beer and a glass.

"Thank you." Luke said as he took it.

"Why don't you two sit down? I'll make you your Martini." As Richard proceeded to make Lorelai's drink, he started. "So, how's life treating you two?"

Lorelai's eyes met Luke's as she gave him a smile. Then she said. "Everything's fine, actually."

"That's good to hear." He handed Lorelai her glass of martini and sat down himself, sipping on his whiskey. "Luke, how are things at the Diner?"

"Good. Great. Thanks for asking."

"How's the insurance for your restaurant? Are you satisfied with it?"

Luke narrowed his eyes and it took him a moment to respond. "Yeah. I guess."

"That doesn't sound convincing, son."

"Well, I do have the same insurance since my dad owned the place. And I don't see anything wrong with it, actually."

"Dad, what are you trying?" Lorelai laughed. "You heard it. Luke's fine with his insurance."

"I just thought he might want to change it for better conditions." Richard turned back to Luke. "I could take a look at your papers, if you want."

"Well, I never thought about it..."

"Sometimes it's good to stick with the old but in this case, it would be better to think about a change. What do you say?"

"Uhm..." Luke hesitated. "Yeah, okay. It won't hurt."

"Good. I'll stop by the Diner some time next week, if that's okay with you." Richard smiled and leaned back in his chair. His eyes darted over to the kitchen where Emily just came out.

"Dinner's ready in fifteen minutes."

"Perfect. Then why don't we take our drinks and go over to the dining room, shall we?" Richard lifted from the sofa and motioned the others to follow him.

"It still takes a few minutes, Richard."

"I heard that Emily but it doesn't matter where we're waiting for Dinner."

"It certainly does." When she earned a few baffled expressions, she continued. "We're still waiting for someone."

"Are we?" Lorelai looked up from her drink.

"Yes."

"I didn't know you've invited someone else. I thought..." Lorelai's eyes met her fathers and she could see that he didn't know about this either.

When the door bell rang, Emily hurried to open it.

Lorelai leaned forward, whispering to her father. "Who else did she invite? I thought it's just the four of us."

"I have absolutely no idea..." Richard stopped as he saw Emily and Christopher walking in. "Oh, it's Christopher."

"What?" At the mention of the name, Lorelai almost choked at her drink. Her fingers digging deep into the sofa. "I don't believe this. "She mumbled and emptied her glass in one sip before she set it back on the table.

"Thank you so much for inviting me, Emily."

"I'm just glad you could come."

"Well, I was around anyway. Had some business to do not far from here." Christopher smiled before he turned to the others. "Richard, nice to see you again. It's been awhile, isn't it?"

"Certainly. Hello Christopher." Richard greeted him with a nod. Confused, he turned to his wife. _Why didn't she tell him about this?_

Christopher looked at Lorelai who was still sitting on the sofa, staring at the empty glass in front of her. "And there she is, in all her beauty. Hi Lor."

Letting out a snort, she instinctively reached for Luke's hand and slipped her fingers through his. Then she replied with a short. "Hey."

"And... it was Luke, right?"

"Yes." Luke looked up at him, giving him a cold stare. Was he in a wrong movie because it totally felt like that. Lorelai's parents _and_ Christopher? It's going to be a hell of an evening.

"Now we can go over into the dining room. Yolanda? You can serve soup in five minutes." Emily told her and left the room, with the others on her heels.

* * *

Dinner remained rather silent. Every time Emily started with a topic to talk about, the conversation died down because of the lack of participation. Anger started to rise inside her and after Yolanda served them dessert, she gave in and talked to Christopher about his work.

Lorelai, who sat next to Luke, turned to look at him and noticed his tense expression. She already started to feel guilty for bringing him with her. She could see that he felt everything but comfortable. Leaning a little closer, she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Luke looked around the table before he met Lorelai's eyes. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. Absolutely not. I can't believe she did this." Lorelai ran her fingers over Luke's thigh. "We're outa here soon. Promise."

"Lorelai!"

Hearing her mother saying her name, Lorelai jumped and almost dropped her fork. "What?"

"Why don't you let us take part in your conversation with Luke. You two whispering during Dinner isn't quite polite, don't you think?"

"Emily please..." Richard said calmly.

"Don't tell me something about politeness, _mother_." Lorelai muttered and shoved her plate away."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing." Lorelai blew out a breath and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms above her chest.

"I don't like your behavior tonight, Lorelai."

"Gee, is that so?" She lifted her head to meet her mother's eyes. "I don't like yours either but what can we do?"

"Lorelai..." Luke whispered and he searched for Lorelai's hand under the table.

"I thought you invited _us_. Me and Luke. Dad told me you wanted to get to know Luke better. So, here we are. But what did _you_ do? You invited Christopher. And I just don't know why you did it because I happened to think it'd be just the four of us. That's why I didn't bring Rory tonight."

"You're mad because I invited Christopher?"

"Yeah, actually I am."

"I invited Christopher because he was in town and I thought it would be nice to see him again. Aren't you happy to see him again?"

Lorelai snorted out a laugh. "Totally."

"Lorelai!"

"What, mom? Luke should be at the Diner tonight. Sunday evening is usually pretty busy and still he managed to get away, just to be here. But still, you're ignoring him. You don't even try to talk to him. So here I am, thinking about why we even bothered to come tonight?"

Emily stared at her daughter for a moment, her eyes cool with a hint of arrogance. "Well, he's not the most talkative person himself but..." She turned to Luke. "So Luke, I heard you're paying for Rory's school?"

Luke choked at that. "I..."

Lorelai kicked him under the table and cut him off. "No, he doesn't."

"Oh? That's what I figured because I can't imagine that you'd suddenly have the money yourself."

"Well, as it happens, I do."

"Coincidence, isn't it? You and Luke are a couple and this is the same time you have enough money to pay for Rory's school."

"Yeah, life's full of surprises."

"So, Luke has nothing to do with it?"

"Why does is it even bother you? Fact is, you don't have to pay for it anymore. Some people would be happy about this, you know?" Lorelai said, her voice full of rage.

"Lor, you should have said something. I could have helped you out." Christopher said, giving her a smile.

"No, thank you."

"It'd be no problem, now that I have that new job..."

"I said, _no thanks_." She grabbed her glass of wine, emptied it.

"No reason to get mad."

"Don't you dare tell me when I'm allowed to be mad." Lorelai glared across the table.

"I just wanted to help." Christopher laughed and lifted his hands, trying to play cool.

"Oh, you always do. Right?"

"There's no reason to start a fight here." Richard said, looking between Christopher and her daughter.

Lorelai let out a huge sigh. Then she dropped her napkin on the table and stood up. "Okay, you know what? I think it's time for us to go."

"Already?" Richard asked, giving his daughter a look that told her he was sorry.

"Yes. I know you wanted us to talk things out but it's just not possible. Not when..." She made a quick glance a Christopher before she turned back to her father. "Whatever. Thanks for Dinner, Dad. Luke?"

"Uh yeah. Thanks, it was delicious." He stood up and followed Lorelai into the parlor where the maid waited to hand them their coats.

"Bye." She gave her father a kiss on the cheek before she slipped into her coat. Without saying anything else, she grabbed Luke's hand and pulled him outside.

* * *

"Are you feeling this?" Lorelai started once they were outside. The air was cool, so she pulled her coat tighter around her body.

"What exactly?"

"The urge to kill someone. It slowly subsides once you leave the house."

"Now that you've mentioned it."

Lorelai stopped and turned to Luke. "Can you believe she invited Christopher? Because you should know my mother never wasn't a fan of him in the first place and now this? They're acting like best friends and I _hate_ it. And I even can't believe we came here tonight. I can't believe I made _you_ go."

"You didn't."

"Of course I did. And I'm sorry." Lorelai sighed. "Truly sorry."

"It was my choice, remember?" Luke reached for her hand. "Let's go home now and forget about this, okay?"

"Sounds perfect." She gave him a slow smile but it suddenly faded. "Oh no."

"What?"

"My purse. I must have left it..." She turned and pointed back to the house. "...in there. Oh god."

"Oh oh."

"Yeah, oh oh." Studying the house for a moment, she continued. "Damn it."

"You want me to get it for you?"

"Nah, it's fine." She took a deep breath and slowly released his hand. "I'll be right back. Hopefully."

"You better be." Luke laughed and watched her as she walked back to the house, rang the bell and disappeared inside. Taking a huge breath, he leaned against the side of his truck and waited. A short moment later, the door opened again but instead of Lorelai, it was Christopher who left the house. Their eyes met for a moment before Luke turned to get into his truck.

"Heeey."

Hesitantly, he moved around and saw Christopher walking towards him. "You talking to me?"

Looking around, Christopher let out a laugh. "Since it's just the two of us out here, I'd say, yes I'm talking to you."

"Well then, I don't really wanna talk to you, so..." Luke reached again to open his truck.

"I just wanted to tell you to not get too close to her."

"Excuse me?" Luke turned, his eyes narrowing.

"I think you heard me right."

"And you're telling me this because...?"

"It won't last anyway." Christopher shrugged, giving him one of his smug smiles. "Everyone knows that."

"Look, why don't you do everyone a favour, get into your car and drive away."

"Why should I? I like the conversation we're having here."

Luke's eyes darted to the front door of the manor. "Lorelai told you to get out of her life, remember?"

"Ah, she told you that? Sweet. Thing is, she didn't really mean it like that."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"I'm Rory's father after all."

"Are you? Are you her father? Well, what does that mean anyway? Having the same genes doesn't make someone a good father."

"What?" Christopher asked, anger mirrored in his voice. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You claim to be Rory's father when you haven't been around half of her life. On Birthdays, Christmas, first school day, first heartbreak. Where have you been, huh? And don't tell me something about postcards, letters or phone calls because that doesn't count."

"So, you think you're a better father to her because you've been around all the time? Then let me tell you something. You live here but_ I don't_. You can't compare that."

_Jesus Christ, thank god he's not living here._ "I didn't say anything about being a better father, I'm just saying..."

"Yeah, I get that. And I know what you're trying with the whole paying for Rory's school thing." Christopher said, glaring back at Luke.

"What am I trying?"

"Buying their love. But it won't work. You get that? It _won't_ work!"

Luke couldn't help but laugh about that. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Besides, I don't have anything to do with it anyway. Lorelai's paying for it herself."

"Yeah, sure. Like if she'd have the money." Christopher raised an eyebrow, watching him intentely. "And now you're not even man enough to admit it. How pathetic."

"I won't admit anything. And I don't even know why I'm having this conversation with you. It's none of your business anyway. Rory goes to Chilton for _two_ years now and you never really cared, so why do you care now?"

"I always cared."

"Did you? But you should have known that Lorelai _hated_ to ask her parents for money. She _hated_ that her mother had those strings on her. That she made her come to Dinner every single Friday because it was part of the deal to get the money in the first place. And what did you do? _Nothing_. You did absolutely _nothing_. So don't tell me again that you cared, okay?"

"And then there was you. Her night in shining armor. How romantic." Christopher mocked. "But like I said, savor every single moment. It could be over with a blink of an eye. Like this." He flicked his fingers.

Luke shook his head, snorting out a laugh. "Say whatever you want. I don't care."

"That's not true and we both know that. You fear the moment she tells you it's over. I saw that when I came to visit her and Rory and you've been working on Lor's car. And then again when you came to her house that night and I've been there. I saw it in your eyes when you thought you lost her. It's always going to be there. That fear inside you. Because you know yourself it's not meant to last. And I get that. No one wants to be just a fling. I certainly wouldn't." Christopher just laughed when he saw Luke clench his fists. "But hey, you had the pleasure to have her in your bed. You just have to think positive here."

And then, Luke couldn't stop himself anymore, as much as he fought against it. Hearing Christopher saying all those things, did it to him. Everything that bubbled on the surface the whole time when he thought about that guy. It makes him wanna explode. And next thing he knew was that his fist came in contact with Christopher's jaw. _Hard_. So hard that said person stumbled and fell back on the floor, a shocked expression on his face.

But he had to admit himself, he felt a lot better now.

"Oh my god, Luke?" He heard Lorelai saying and winced when he saw her on the front steps of the house, looking at him with wide eyes.

* * *

**To be continued... **

_I just had to do this. The whole Luke and C. thing. I hope you didn't mind. :P_

Oh and yeah, if you're still reading this? Leaving a review would be nice. Thank you!


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32 **

"What's been going on here?" Lorelai asked as she approached them, looking curiously between Luke and Christopher. But both men just looked at each other and neither of them saying anything at all. Luke turned away, inhaling deeply as he realized the sharp pain in his fingers. He never hit anyone that hard before, he thought, and slowly tried to move his fingers.

"I asked you something."

"Don't look at me, Lor. _He_ started it." Christopher finally blurted out, pointing into Luke's direction.

"Sure." Luke snorted out. "I'd say the same if I were you."

"What? Are you saying that I'm lying? Funny isn't it, considering that _I'm_ the one who's on the floor." He touched his lip. "Bleeding."

"I didn't..." Luke looked down on his hand as he realized that it started to throb. Geez. That totally put a nice ending to an already eventful day. _Damn it. _

"You didn't do _what_? Are you kidding? We all saw what you did. Even Lor did. So don't deny it."

"Do you actually see me denying anything? I'm just saying that I wasn't the one who started it." Luke hissed, glaring down on Christopher. "You came out here to me, talking about all this crap. What was I supposed to do?"

"What? You son of a..."

"Hey." Lorelai shouted, cutting him off. "Watch your tongue, buddy."

"Why? He punched me in my face, while we've been chatting so nicely."

Lorelai studied Luke for a moment before she moved around, looking at Christopher. "I'm sure Luke had his reasons. We all know you're not exactly a saint."

"You're saying this is my fault?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I just presume."

"Presume? That lunatic punched _me_ and now _I'm_ the bad guy? Well, that's just great." Christopher grumbled as he got up on his feet, straightening out his pants.

"Oh please. So he knocked you down and you landed on your butt. Stop whining and don't be such a baby about it."

"What?" Christopher raised both of his eyebrows. "I don't believe this. I did expect more from you."

"Oh yeah?" Lorelai asked, hands on her hips, her gaze pinning his. "What exactly do you expect? My pity?"

"Loyalty, for example."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah."

"My loyalty ended when you started being such a jerk. All I wanted from you was to accept Luke and me as a couple. But you proved multiple times that it's not really possible. So I told you, not only once, that I want you out of my life. The next time I find out you united with my mother, behind my back. So what exactly do you want from me?"

"I didn't unite..."

"Whatever. I have enough." Lorelai said before she turned back to Luke. "Gimme the keys."

"Why?"

"Just give me the _damn_ keys."

"But I can drive myself."

"Luke." She held out her hand, looking at him expectantly and a moment later Luke dropped the bunch of keys into her palm. "Thank you. And now get in the car."

Glaring one last time into Christopher's direction, Luke opened the door of his truck and climbed in, shutting the door rather forcefully. Rubbing the knuckles of his hand, he waited for Lorelai to join him.

They sat in silence, neither of them saying anything for a long moment. Luke just blew out a deep breath before he turned to look outside the window, his eyes magnetically fixed on the fountain in the middle of the driveway.

"I can't believe this." Lorelai finally said, tapping with her fingers on the steering wheel, her eyes slowly turning to Luke. When he didn't seem to respond, she added. "Luke?"

"What do you wanna hear? It just happened, okay?"

"Well, that doesn't really explain it, does it?" She paused. "Why did it happen? _Why_ did you do this? _Here_. In front of my parents house. What if they'd seen that?"

"Oh excuse me but your parents were my last problem a few minutes ago." Luke replied, his voice filled with a hint of anger.

Hesitantly, Lorelai shook her head. "You know what? Let's give us some time to cool down. We'll talk about this at home."

Luke didn't reply and reached for his seatbelt. But he winced slightly when pain shot through his knuckles, caused by the sudden movement of his fingers.

"You okay?" Lorelai asked in concern, her eyes falling on his sore knuckles.

"I'm fine." Luke muttered and leaned back in his seat.

"Okay." Nibbling on her lower lip, Lorelai decided to let it rest for the moment before they'd say some things they might regret later. So she put the key into the engine and started the truck, heading back out of the driveway.

* * *

"I told you I'm fine. Please stop asking." Luke said the umpteenth time as they arrived home.

"It looks red and swollen. I'll go get you some ice." Lorelai rubbed his arm and hurried into the kitchen.

Luke just blew out a breath and made his way into the living room. When he saw Rory and three other girls sitting on the floor around the couch table, he remembered that Rory mentioned something about a study group this afternoon. And now that they've seen him, it was too late to snuck out and leave.

"Hey Luke. You're back?" Rory asked as she noticed him coming in.

"Hey. Yeah."

Rory smiled. "Girls, this is Luke. My mom's boyfriend. Luke, that's Madeleine, Louise and Paris. I think you've met Paris before. Remember?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah sure. I remember. Hey."

"Luke, huh?" Louise beamed, batting her eyelashes at him. "I like that name."

"Uh... thanks." He narrowed his eyes before he turned to look on his feet, his hands disappearing in the pockets of his pants.

"I got the ice." Lorelai emerged from the kitchen and was suddenly surprised to see her daughter's company. "Oh, hi girls."

"Hi Lorelai."

"How's the project going?" She asked and handed Luke the towel with ice.

"We'd be finished if we would actually _do_ something instead of chatting all the time." Paris muttered, flipping through a book.

"Oh c'mon, Paris. We haven't taken a break yet and we're already here for two hours. Relax." Madeleine said, rolling her eyes dramatically. "She likes to torture us."

"Hey, I heard that." Paris snapped, gaving her a hard glare.

"Good."

"I want an _A_ on this project, you get that? Not an A-, not a B+. An A. So if you're not actually intrested in helping me with this, just tell me and I'll do it alone. I'm faster if I'm doing this alone anyway."

"An _A_ sounds fine with me." Madeleine through in, examining her fingersnails.

"Okay baby, just holding the ice won't do you any good. You have to put it on your hand." Lorelai whispered to Luke.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Rory asked, looking at it in concern. "Are you hurt?"

"No, it's nothing." Luke shook his head, forcing a small smile.

"And what do you need the ice for?"

"I... hit my hand some time earlier today. Stupid me." Luke shrugged, glancing at Lorelai. "I'll go upstairs, okay?"

"Sure." Lorelai smiled. "I'll join you in a minute."

"'Kay." Luke nodded. "Bye girls." And with that he walked upstairs.

"Bye Luke." Louise said with a sigh as she watched Luke walking upstairs. "Nice pick, Lorelai. He seems to be kinda cute."

"Thanks. But taken. Sorry." Lorelai laughed. "Well, are you girls all set? You need anything?"

"Nah, we're good." Rory said and walked over to her mom. Then she whispered. "Did something happened with grandma? Luke seemed a little... off."

"I'll fill you in tomorrow, okay? There's something Luke and I need to talk about now."

"Are you two okay?"

"Don't worry, hon." Lorelai gave her daughter a smile before she turned to the others. "Don't stay up too long. You have school tomorrow."

"Mom." Rory rolled her eyes, feeling a little embarrassed in front of her friends.

"What? I'm just saying." Lorelai grinned and walked upstairs. "Night girls."

* * *

Lorelai waited a few minutes until Luke came into her room. He'd been in the bathroom checking on his hand and actually using the towel with ice, Lorelai gave him. If he wanted to admit it or not, it did help a little to ease the swelling. And the pain.

Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it and looked at Lorelai who was sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Is the ice helping?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Lorelai gave him a smile. "So, can we talk now?"

"About what exactly?"

"The obvious? Dinner? My parents? Your fight with Christopher?"

"I don't know what's there to talk about. Besides, it wasn't really a fight."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay, if it wasn't a fight, then what was it?"

"He said something. I said something. And one thing led to the other." Luke lifted his head to meet her eyes. "You know the rest."

"That I do."

"And just that you know right away, I'm not sorry for what I did."

"Okay."

"Maybe I should have handled things differently, I won't deny that, but after everything he said, I... I just couldn't control myself anymore. I kinda lost my temper."

"But what did he say?"

Luke blew out a breath before he answered, slowly shaking his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Well, it obviously _did_ matter to you." She paused for a moment. "If I didn't come outside on time, what would have happened then?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that. So please make me understand and tell me what he said to you. Please."

"I told you, it's not important anymore." Luke raised his voice, glaring at her. "Can't you just accept that?"

"No, I can't."

"Lorelai, please..."

She tugged a strand of hair behind her ear. "I know you're not that kind of guy who does something like that without having a reason. I actually never saw you using your fists before, even if you could have."

"Yeah, every day a new surprise."

"Stop being like that. The last thing I want is to start fighting with you."

Luke shoved his hands over his tired face, groaning. "Sorry."

Lorelai sighed. "Look, whatever Christopher said, I already told you, you don't have to worry..."

"I know."

"But why did you let it get to you anyway?"

"You know him. You know how he can be if he wants something. And then he came outside and started talking to me about you and him, all the time having this stupid smirk on his face that actually screams '_punch me_' by just looking at him. And then, I did it. I punched him. Everything happened so fast. I saw him stumbling down and then I heard you calling my name and I thought, great. I'm sure he hoped you'd come and see something like this happening to him, so he can be the poor guy in all this."

"And despite all that, _you're_ the one I brought back home." Lorelai lifted from the bed and walked over to him. "Aren't you?"

"Apparently."

"See." She slipped her hands around his neck, smiling. "So what does that tell you?"

"You took pity for the guy with the sore knuckles?"

Lorelai giggled. "Maybe a little." Then she turned serious again. "But listen to me. Whatever Christopher might have said or will say, for that matter, nothing's going to change my mind about us. _Nothing_. You hear that?"

"If he's calling again? Or stopping by?"

"I wouldn't dare him to do that."

"But what if? He seems to be quite the persistent guy."

"Let's deal with that when it actually happens." She hugged him close. "And for now, let's just hope that it won't happen too soon."

Luke slowly drew her in, holding her tightly against his body. "'kay."

"I love you." Lorelai whispered against his neck, her fingers slowly caressing his back.

"I love you too."

They stayed like this for a long moment, just enjoying the closeness and the warm body of the other. When Luke noticed how late it already was, he slowly pulled apart. "I actually gotta go now."

"No, why?" Lorelai slipped her arms around his body, resting her head on his chest.

"Look, it's almost midnight and I have to get up in almost four hours."

Lorelai just groaned. "Why?"

"You know why. Early deliveries. And I'm going to go back to my place so I won't wake you up in the middle of the night."

"I don't care."

"You will when the alarm goes off at 4.15am. Believe me."

"I won't. Please."

When Luke noticed the look on her face, he let out a sigh. "I warned you. Don't blame me when you're cranky tomorrow."

"Excuse me? I'm never cranky." Lorelai laughed and dragged Luke over to the bed, slowly starting to unbutton his shirt.

"No, of course not. Must have confused you with someone else. Sorry."

Lorelai stopped and looked up at him, raising one of her eyebrows, trying her best to suppress a grin. "Someone else, huh? That other woman you're waking up with when you're sleeping at your place?"

Luke rolled his eyes, laughing. "Yes, _that's_ what I meant."

"Silly." She grinned and pulled him down with her on the bed. "And if one of us is cranky, then it's you."

"Comes with the business and dealing with stupid customers." He stopped. "Except present ones, of course."

"Nice turn." She grinned. "Oh and I'm sorry to disappoint you. No kinky business tonight. There are kids..." But Luke immediately cut her of by giving her a long and lingering kiss.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_Still reading this? Then let me know by leaving a review. Thanks. :)_


	33. Chapter 33

_Thank god for fanfiction. That's all there is to say. _

_Here's the new chapter._

Enjoy! 

* * *

**Chapter 33 **

It was exactly 4.15am when Lorelai's alarm clock went off. Luke woke up the second it started and he immediately reached to turn it off. Rubbing his face with one hand, he pulled the covers aside to crawl out of bed but the moment he started to move, Lorelai snuggled closer.

Frowning, Luke let out a deep sigh. Then he whispered softly into her ear. "Lorelai, let go of my arm." He heard her mumble something in return but he couldn't really understand what exactly, so he continued. "I have to get up."

"You don't." Lorelai mumbled, her eyes still closed.

He sighed. He knew this was going to happen. "I told you yesterday, remember?"

She groaned as she buried her face between Luke's head and shoulder, her fingers still clutching his arms to prevent him from leaving.

"Lorelai."

"I hate early."

"I know."

"Early is evil." Lorelai murmured before she stifled a yawn.

"I'm sorry."

Sighing, Lorelai lifted her head, her eyes still sleepy and half closed. She blinked a few times before she looked directly at Luke, her index finger slowly moving along his jaw. "I just had a dream. And it was kinda… good."

"Oh yeah?"

She nodded. The corners of her mouth twitched into a small grin.

"Then go back to sleep. Maybe the dream will continue." Luke gave her a small kiss on her cheek. "How does that sound?"

"Nah."

"I thought it was a good dream?"

"It _was_ but the real thing is so much better." She grinned and moved closer to softly brush her lips over his. "What do you think?"

"I..." Luke felt his eyes roll back in his head as he slumped back down on the pillow.

"Got twenty more minutes?" Lorelai mumbled against his mouth as she slowly moved on top of him.

"Not really. I..."

"15 will do it too."

"Look, I can't let the delivery guy keep waiting outside my Diner." He breathed out, the struggle inside him quite obvious.

"Please. Pretty pretty _please_." Lorelai begged, her mouth forming her famous pout. Slowly, she reached for the hem of her shirt to pull it over her head. A second later it landed with a thud on the floor. "Please."

Luke sighed as his eyes wandered down her body. "This is so not fair and you know that."

Grinning, Lorelai nodded as she leaned forward, resting her hands on either side of Luke's head. "So, what do you say?"

His eyes locked on hers for a long moment, deciding what to do. She just smiled at him, the curls of her dark brown hair framing her sleepy face. Just a small ray of light found its way through the curtains, so that Luke could see Lorelai's silhouette in the darkness of the room.

A moment later, his hand reached up to the back of her neck and pulled her down in a deep and lingering kiss. Luke's other hand grabbed her by her waist and rolled them both over, so Lorelai found herself trapped underneath him within seconds. He heard her squealing in surprise but muffled her noises with another kiss. "Then let's get going. 15 minutes just have started."

"Finally." Lorelai giggled and tugged eagerly on Luke's shirt.

* * *

_Late in the afternoon – Luke's Diner_

"Kirk, why are you still here?" Luke asked as he grabbed a towel and started to clean the tables.

"Sorry, am I annoying you?" Kirk, who was sitting at a table on the backside of the Diner, mumbled in return. He had been there for about an hour, only ordering a glass of water and some fries, he didn't even touch.

"Well..." When Luke noticed Kirk's sad expression, he continued. "Why don't you just go home. You've been here long enough. Besides, you didn't even touch your fries. Is there something wrong with them?

"No."

"But?"

Kirk just shrugged, grabbed a fry and stuffed it into his mouth. "See, I'm eating. Although, they're cold already." He frowned and shoved the plate away. "Can I order new ones?"

"Kirk!"

"What? You're not closing up, do you? I mean, it's not even seven yet. So I can still order."

Luke raised both of his eyebrows. Then he let out a long sigh. "You clearly don't wanna go home. Is there a reason why?"

"In a manner of speaking, there is."

"And what would that reason be?"

"I had a fight with my mother. We're still not talking. Which means, she's not cooking and that's the reason why I'm here, eating at your Diner."

"A fight with your mother?" Luke repeated before he let out a sigh. "Uh, yeah. You're still living with her. I forgot."

"Don't look at me like that."

"And how am I looking at you?"

"Like you're judging me."

"I'm not judging you."

"Of course you do. I know that look. It's the same look people are giving me once they find out I'm still living at my mom's. There's nothing to be ashamed about."

"Uh-huh."

"You're still living at home too, you know?"

Frowning, Luke threw the towel over his shoulder and leaned against the counter. "It's not the same. I'm not living with my parents anymore. Not that it could be possible anyway. This is _my_ place now. For years."

"Still, you never moved out. So we're not that different."

"I didn't move out because it's convenient to have my apartment right above the Diner and…" Luke stared at Kirk for a moment but then he shook his head. "Geez. Why am I even defending myself?"

"I'm right and you know it."

"Shut up, Kirk." Luke grumbled and walked away but suddenly turned when he heard the bells jingle and Rory walked in.

"Hey you." She gave Luke a small smile before she dropped herself on a stool at the counter. "Hi Kirk."

"Hi Rory."

"What are you guys up to?"

Luke leaned down to Rory and whispered. "I'm trying to make him leave but as you can see, it's not really working."

"Aww." She turned to Kirk. "Hey Kirk. Town meeting starts in about ten minutes. You going?"

"Oooh." Kirk took a glance at his watch and his eyes widened as he noticed that Rory was right. "Oh no. I promised Taylor to help him with the charts." He jumped up from his chair and grabbed his jacket.

"What charts?" Luke asked, a frown forming on his forehead.

"Sorry Luke. Gotta go. See you later." And with that, Kirk pushed the door open and left, running across the square to Patty's studio.

"Did he just say later?"

"I'm afraid so." Rory grinned as she turned back to Luke.

"Damn" Luke breathed out as he made his way behind the counter. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please."

Grabbing a mug from behind him, Luke filled it with coffee and shoved it over to Rory. When her eyes fell on his hand, Rory asked. "How's your hand?"

"My—oh, it's better. Thanks."

"Good." Rory watched Luke as he put the coffee pot back on the coffee maker. "Mom told me about yesterday."

Luke froze and remained silent for a moment before he dared to ask. "About what?"

"Well… about what happened with you and my dad."

Slowly, Luke moved around, meeting Rory's eyes. "She—told you?" When he saw her nodding in return, he hissed. "Damn it, I can't believe she told you. I thought it was clear that—"

"We talked this morning and I asked her if something happened yesterday with grandma because you've been acting a little weird when you came home from Friday Night Dinner. Then mom told me that grandma invited my Dad and things got a little... out of control."

"She shouldn't have told you."

"Why not?"

"Because..."

"Luke, I'm not mad, okay?"

"How can you say that when you know I hit your dad? How can you not be mad at me right now?"

"Because I'm sure you had your reasons to do what you've done." She paused. "Didn't you."

Hesitantly, Luke nodded. "Yeah but..."

"Mom hadn't told me any details but I'm sure he said some pretty bad things to you. I won't say that it justifies anything but it makes me understand. You might think that I want my parents to be back together and be a family again but you're wrong. They've tried and it won't work. Never will and I accepted that a long time ago. I've seen you guys together in the last couple of weeks and it made me realize that you two are just meant to be." When she noticed Luke's expression, she giggled. "Okay, that might sound cheesy but that's how I feel about it. And I wanted you to know that."

Luke's face broke into a small smile. "Thanks for saying that. It means a lot."

"It's just how I feel." Rory shrugged, propping her hands on the countertop and leaning forward to plant a kiss on Luke's cheek. She caught him by surprise and even saw him blushing slightly, but she didn't say anything. She just smiled and slipped off the stool. "You coming to the town meeting?"

"I don't think so." Luke cleared his throat, slipping his fingers into the back pockets of his jeans.

"I thought you wanna know what's up with those charts, Kirk mentioned before."

"Well, maybe you can fill me in tomorrow?"

"Sure." Rory paused. "Mom's not coming either. She's still busy at the Inn ."

"Yeah, she called earlier. There was an incident at the Inn."

"Something like that."

"You want a coffee to go?"

"Yes. Please." She waited until Luke had filled her a paper cup of coffee before she grabbed it and walked to the door. "See you tomorrow."

"Yah. Bye." Luke watched her leaving, still smiling at Rory's words.

* * *

_Two hours later _

"Luke's?" Luke answered the phone while he managed to make a fresh pot of coffee, the receiver pressed between his chin and shoulder.

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh hi. Hold on a sec." He turned to the customers on the counter. "Anything else besides coffee?"

"No, thanks."

Luke nodded and walked over to a quiet corner. "Okay, I'm good now."

"Is it a bad time?"

"No, it's fine. Just the usual after-town-meeting crowd. And it's my own fault anyway. Don't know why I keep the Diner open for those people."

"To make money?" Lorelai laughed. "Just a guess."

"Yeah." He let out a sigh. "Are you still at work?"

"Yes, but I'll be leaving in a few minutes. It's pretty late anyway."

Luke took a glance at his watch, then groaned. "It definitely is. You stopping by on your way home? I could fix you a burger or something."

"Sookie already made me something but thanks. And I think I'm heading straight home and take a bath. I'm totally beat and my back is killing me."

"Oh. Okay."

When Lorelai noticed Luke's disappointment, she continued. "Maybe you wanna come over after closing up."

"Well..."

"Or if you don't want to, we'll see each other tomorrow morning."

"It's not like I don't want to. I'm just not sure when I'll be finished here. Still have some customers." His eyes wandered around the Diner.

"It's okay. Just come over when you're done."

"I don't wanna wake you up if you're already asleep."

"Hmm." Lorelai thought for a moment. "You know where I'm hiding the spare key, don't you?"

"The spare key? I uh—I guess."

"Good. Use it."

"You sure?"

"I wouldn't have said so if I weren't. Just let yourself in. It's not like I hadn't done it before at your place."

"You did, yes."

"See." She paused for a moment. "And this way you don't have to break the locks on my back door or climb up my window. Although, that would be quite romantic, don't ya think? Well, the climbing up my window of course, not the breaking in part."

"I got it." Luke laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay then, see you later."

"I can't wait. And Luke?"

"Hurry up!"

* * *

When Luke arrived at Lorelai's place it was past 11pm . It took longer than expected to get all customers to leave, especially after what happened at the town-meeting. Luke didn't know what exactly happened but people seemed to be pretty pissed about whatever Taylor presented them with his charts. He just overheard pieces of people's conversations but as long as it doesn't affect him or his Diner, he doesn't really care. Chances that Taylor might put up another traffic light just outside his Diner seemed to be pretty rare but one can never be sure. He definitely had to ask Rory the next day to tell him the whole story.

When Luke approached the house, everything seemed dark. He walked up the porch and picked up the small animal to grab the spare key which was hidden underneath. Careful not to make too much noise, Luke let himself inside. He didn't turn on any lights as he tiptoed across the room to head upstairs.

But suddenly he heard a door open, followed by a surprised, "Luke?" It was Rory who came out of her room to get some of her books she had left in the living room, when she noticed Luke sneaking upstairs.

Feeling caught, Luke slowly turned around. "Hey."

Pressing a hand on her heart, Rory took a deep breath. "I uh – woah, you almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"I didn't know you'd be coming over. You didn't mention it earlier at the Diner."

"Your mom asked me to."

"Oh okay." Rory smiled. "It's just that I didn't expect you to be here, that's it. How did you get in anyway? I thought I had locked the door."

"You did. I uhm— your mom said I could use the spare key." Luke paused, waiting for her reaction. "Maybe I shouldn't have."

"No, it's fine." Rory gave him a small smile. "Really."

"You sure? It feels a little awkward right now."

"A little." She laughed, tugging a strand of hair behind her ear. "At least you're not some burglar."

"That I'm not, lucky you." He grinned, rubbing the back of his head as he looked down on his feet. "You know, I really think you shouldn't keep that key outside. It's very easy for people to find out about such hiding places."

"That's what I'm trying to tell mom for years but she thinks it's pretty convenient."

"I'll talk to her about it."

"Okay." Rory gave him a small smile. It was kinda cute how Luke was all worried about them. She liked that. "Well, she's upstairs, taking a bath."

"Okay." Luke nodded. "I will go— upstairs then.

"Good night."

"Night." Luke waited until Rory walked back to her room before he made his way upstairs. He stopped in front of the bathroom and slightly knocked on the door. A second a later, he heard Lorelai reply.

"Yeah?"

"It's me."

"Come in." She told him through the door.

"You sure?"

"Well, _duh_. That's what I said." Lorelai laughed, then added. "Come on in."

Slowly, Luke opened the door and slipped inside, taking a glance at Lorelai who was lying in the tub with bubbles up to her chin. After closing the door behind him, he leaned against it, giving her a small smile.

"Hey there." Lorelai smiled, biting her lower lip. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry."

She reached out her hand. "C'mere."

Luke walked closer and slipped his hand in hers as he was sitting down on the edge of the tub. "Hey."

"Hi." Lorelai smiled before she looked down on his hand, her thumb caressing his knuckles.

"Rory just caught me."

"Caught you?" Her eyes narrowed as she watched Luke's face. "Doing what?"

"Well, the obvious. Sneaking upstairs."

"It's fine. I told you to."

"I know. It felt a little awkward though."

"You're my boyfriend. Who's supposed to sneak upstairs into my room, especially in the middle of the night, if not you?"

"No one, I hope."

"Me too." Lorelai laughed. "God, me too."

Luke watched her examine his hand. Hesitantly, he started to talk. "Why did you tell Rory about what happened yesterday?"

Lorelai lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Why shouldn't I?"

Luke frowned. "Well, I thought we decided on not telling her."

"I didn't decide anything."

"But you've been there when she asked me about what happened and you heard my answer to that. So I thought it was clear that we're not telling her about it."

"Rory is not a kid anymore, Luke. She asked me and I told her. Don't make such a big deal out of it."

"I...what?" Luke pulled his hand away, frowning. "I make a big deal out of it?"

"Of course you do. Look, she asked me. I told her. She understood and she's not mad at you. Everything's fine."

"Easy for you to say."

"Luke…"

Rubbing his face, Luke blew out a breath. 'Sorry. It's just..." He stopped and shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

"After what happened with your mom and Christopher, I didn't want Rory to feel the same about me. About us. I was worried that..." He paused and met her eyes. "But now I know she doesn't and, yeah, I guess you're right. Everything's fine."

"Good." Lorelai's face relaxed and a slow smile formed on her lips. Then her eyes fell back on his hand. "Does it still hurt?"

"A little."

"Maybe something's broken. You should go see a doctor. Let it x-rayed."

"It's not broken. I can still move them." He slowly made a fist and opened it again. "See?"

"Very convincing." Lorelai pressed a kiss on his fingers. "If it's not better by tomorrow you're getting an x-ray."

"Lorelai..." When he noticed her look, he sighed. "Fine, okay."

She grinned. Ever so slowly, she pulled Luke's hand into the water until she felt his fingertips touching the soft skin on her belly. Her eyes closed and she felt her blood pressure rising dramatically.

Luke watched her for a moment before he moved his head down to press his lips against hers. Softly at first but the kiss grew deeper with every second. Lorelai's other hand shot out of the water and reached up to cup Luke's face while their tongues met in a wild dance. Luke started to groan when he felt Lorelai's fingers slowly moving along his jaw and neck. Suddenly she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer to her so that Luke had to clutch the edge of the tub and the wall to prevent himself from falling into the water. He pulled apart, half shocked, half laughing. "Lorelai..."

"Yeah?" She grinned, although trying to look as innocent as possible.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Why?"

"You almost made me fall in there."

"Well, I thought you might wanna join me?"

"In my clothes?" Luke narrowed his eyes, a small chuckle on his lips.

"That's something we could change." She told him and slowly started to unbutton his shirt.

Hesitantly, she grabbed her hands to stop her. "Don't be mad but I'd rather go to bed."

"Works for me, too. Besides, the water's getting cold anyway." She slowly sat up and motioned for Luke to hand her a towel.

He grabbed the one hanging on a rail and waited until Lorelai stood up. Then he wrapped it around her body. "There you go."

"Thanks." She planted a small kiss on his cheek before she stepped out of the tub.

Luke started to brush his teeth while Lorelai wrapped the towel tightly around her body and grabbed another towel to rub her hair dry. "I missed the town meeting today. Did you go?"

Luke just shook his head as he was watching her in the mirror.

"I hate missing it. It's always so much fun." She paused as their eyes locked in the mirror. "You like the new toothpaste?"

"Very." Luke answered, making a face.

"It's strawberry." Lorelai grinned. "Thought you might like that since you're so fond of fruits and stuff."

"Haha, very funny."

"What?" She laughed, making a step closer to him. "I was just being considerate."

After Luke rinsed out his mouth and washed his face, he turned to Lorelai. "You know, when it comes to toothpaste, I prefer the traditional stuff."

"Traditional? And what's that?"

"Nothing pink or strawberry-tasty. Mint is fine."

"Mint?"

"Yah."

"Hmmm…" She opened a drawer and pulled out a tube. "Like this one?"

Luke just frowned when he saw what she was holding in her hand. "You watched me using that gross pink one. Why didn't you say something?"

"Because…" Lorelai grinned and placed her palms on his chest as she started kissing him. Small kisses at first but then they become longer and deeper. Luke's arms slipped around her waist, pulling her closer against his body what caused them to kiss more passionately. After a long moment and when both felt the lack of oxygen in their lungs, they pulled apart.

Luke blinked a few times, trying to catch his breath. "Because?"

"I wanted to know how it tastes like."

Luke just rolled his eyes but when he saw her expression, he chuckled. "And?"

"Tastes like more." She bit her lower lip. "Why don't you just take this and wait for me in my room." She handed him a bottle of body lotion. "I'll join you in a minute, okay?"

Grabbing the bottle, Luke nodded. "Okay."

A few minutes later, when Lorelai entered her room, she found Luke lying on the bed, resting on his side and his eyes closed. Carefully, she walked closer and whispered. "Luke?" When she didn't get any response, she knew that he already fell asleep. Changing into her nightgown, she joined him a minute later and planted a small kiss on his forehead. "Baby?"

"Hmm." Luke just mumbled without opening his eyes.

"Did you set the alarm clock for tomorrow?"

"Don't need to..." He took in a huge breath. "Told Pete to open up."

"Okay." Smiling, she slipped underneath the covers. The evening didn't exactly turn out how she wanted it to be but the most important thing was to have Luke next to her. He's been up for almost 18 hours. No wonder that he was totally exhausted. Poor baby.

Snuggling closer, Lorelai rested her head on his shoulder before she slipped her hand underneath the covers where she found Luke's. Warm. Like always. They intertwined fingers and Lorelai planted a small kiss on his shoulder. "Night, Luke."

* * *

**To be continued...**

_I'm really sorry it took me so long to update. Again. I really try my best to ignore season 7. Doesn't always work that well though._

_Anyhow, hope someone's still reading this. I really don't know how long I can keep doing this. It's always going to be Luke/Lorelai for me. That's never going to change but this season doesn't really help my writing mood at all. So, if this chapter sucks, I'm really sorry._

Leaving a comment would be nice but please, I'm spoilerfree, so don't mention anything spoiler-related in your comments. Thank you:) 


	34. Chapter 34

_Hey guys, hope you're all doing fine.  
I wanted to make another update this year. So here I am. lol  
If you're still reading, enjoy:)_

* * *

_Next day_

„So, what are you saying?" Lorelai asked Luke as they walked across town to have breakfast at Luke's Diner. Lorelai told Luke about the wedding reception she had organized the day before, which was more of a last minute thing. Now she was trying to persuade him to come, which wasn't the easiest thing to do.

"Uuh." Luke pretended to think for a moment, then he simply added. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not my kind of thing. That's why."

"Oh, c'mon." Lorelai grabbed his arm and tugged on his shirt. "It's just a small reception in the backyard of the Inn. There's going to be lots of food and a bar. Dancing."

"Dancing?" Luke turned his head, frowning.

Okay, maybe she shouldn't have said that. "Did I mention the bar? And Sookie is making one hell of a delicious wedding cake. Best. Cake. Ever. Seriously."

"Uh-huh."

"Look, just think about it as a date."

"A date?"

"Yeah." Lorelai nodded, grinning.

"How could this be a date when you're working?"

"Well, I'm not really _working_. More observing. Checking if everything runs smoothly. I just have to be around in case something happens. But we could still make ourselves a good time."

"I don't even know these people."

"But I do. Look, I just want you to be there, so that we can spend a little more time together. With both of us working a lot lately, we don't see each other that often." Lorelai sighed. "Besides, it could be fun."

They stopped in front of the Diner and Luke turned towards her, his eyes narrowed. "Would I have to wear a suit?"

"Uh yeah, it's a wedding reception. I think a suit would be appropriate."

"Then no fun for me."

"Why?"

"Because I don't feel comfortable wearing a suit, that's why. And stop giving me that look. It's not the first time I'm telling you this."

"Maybe you mentioned it. Once. Or twice."

"See."

"But I don't get it. I'd understand if you look horrible in a suit but that's definitely not the case. You look all gentleman-like when you're dressed up like that. Actually, it's a real turn-on." Lorelai giggled and wriggled her eyebrows.

"So, are you saying that when I'm wearing..." Luke looked down on himself. "..._this_, I'm not turning you on?"

"I didn't say that."

"No?"

"No." She let out a small laugh. "It's just different. And we both know that I'm all for that flannel style of yours because it makes you so incredibly sexy but you can't judge a woman for wanting her prince charming to dress up from time to time."

Luke let out a huge sigh, holding her gaze.

When Miss Patty passed them, she stopped and gave Luke a flirtious wink. "Hey, you two. What are you kids up to?"

"We're about to have breakfast at Luke's. Oh hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, sugar. What is it?"

"I want your opinion on something we've just been talking about."

"No. Lorelai, don't..." Luke tried, shaking his head.

Ignoring him, Lorelai turned to Patty. "Luke hates wearing suits and now I'm trying to tell him how great he looks when he's all dressed up. What do you think?"

"Oh." Miss Patty's eyes wandered over to Luke, eyeing him from head to toe. Then she continued. "Oh hon, I do believe it's better if I not tell you."

"Exactly!" Luke nodded and turned to leave but Lorelai grabbed his arm to stop him.

"But I do wanna know. So?"

"First of all, you burnt a picture into my mind and I'm really thankful for that." Miss Patty cleared her throat before she continued. "Okay, where was I? Ah, okay. First of all, I haven't seen him in a suit in ages." She turned to him. "Honey, you should wear one more often. You could definitely compete with those guys from CG magazine."

"You mean GQ?" Lorelai threw in, slightly amused.

"Yes, sorry. Of course."

"You're reading the GQ magazine?"

"Not reading, honey. Definitely _not_ reading." Patty gave her a look and Lorelai exactly knew what she was talking about.

"Ah, okay." Lorelai giggled. "I get it. There are way more interesting things in there."

"Definitely. You know- " Miss Patty made a step closer to Lorelai, whispering. "If I'd be twenty years younger, I couldn't guarantee for anything."

"Okay, leaving." Luke muttered and Lorelai clutched his arm when she felt him pull away.

"I'm not the sharing type anyway and neither is Luke. Right, honey?" Luke just grumbled something in return before he turned away.

"That's what I figured. Too bad. Kids, I gotta go. Yoga classes are about to start. Don't wanna keep the ladies waiting." She gave them a small wave and hurried across the street to her dancing studio.

"I'm _so_ not going to that thing with you now. Not after _this_." Luke muttered and turned to walk up the stairs to the Diner.

"What? Why? " Lorelai frowned and followed him.

"You are not seriously asking me this, are you?" Luke opened the door and stepped inside.

"Don't tell me you're mad because I asked Miss Patty about her opinion? Or is it because she thinks you're a hot stud?"

"I just don't want you to go around and ask people stuff like that. Not Patty. And especially not when I'm present."

"Aww, c'mon..."

"I'm serious, Lorelai."

"Luke, is that you?" Pete called from the kitchen, his voice sounding a little stressed.

"Yeah. Pete, what is it?" Luke sighed and made his way to the counter.

"I'm so glad you're here. Got a little emergency." He threw a towel over his shoulder as he came out of the kitchen.

"Emergency? What do you mean?"

"I noticed we're out of milk _and_ cream, which is bad since it's usually used for making breakfast."

"How's that possible. There was supposed to be a delivery this morning."

"Nope. There was none. I already called and asked but they said there was no order made by you." Pete said, looking between Luke and Lorelai. "Maybe they made a mistake?"

"I..." Luke thought for a moment, then he hissed. "Damn it."

"What?"

"I can't believe I forgot about this."

"Well, stuff like this can happen. Make the call now." Lorelai told Luke, rubbing his arm.

"I already did but they said they can't deliver until tonight. Guess one of us has to go to Doose's and get a load of milk and cream, so that we get by today."

Luke blew out a breath and checked for his wallet. "I'll go. Be right back." And with that he left the Diner and hurried over to Doose's market.

Pete's eyes wandered to Lorelai, who was sitting at the counter. "Sometimes it feels like if he's a little over-worked. Well anyway, what can I get you?"

"I..." But Lorelai was being cut off by a man, asking for his breakfast.

"Hey man, what about my scrambled eggs? A little longer and I have to order again. But then it would be _lunch_."

"Sorry, on their way." Pete muttered. "Lorelai, just a few minutes."

"Never mind. I'm going to wait for Luke." She gave him a smile and Pete disappeared into the kitchen.

After a few minutes of waiting and thinking, Lorelai slipped off her stool and made her way behind the counter, stopping in the doorway of the kitchen. "Pete?"

"Gee, Lorelai. You shouldn't be back here."

"I know, I know. Luke tells me all the time." She just waved it off and continued. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, shoot."

"Okay uhm, I was wondering, you like working here, right?" She nervously fiddled with her fingers as she was watching Pete making scrambled eggs.

"Sure, why wouldn't I?" He suddenly stopped from what he was doing and turned his head to look at her. "Wait, don't tell me Luke wants to get rid of me."

"Oh no. No. Definitely not. Don't worry."

"Okay, then why are you asking me this?"

"Because I was thinking …" She made a step closer. "…well, I wanted to go on vacation with Luke. For a week. Maybe a little longer. And if you could run the Diner while we're away… you know, that would be great."

"Vacation, huh?" Pete gave her a small grin. "Well, I can do that if Luke's okay with it."

"Well, he actually doesn't know about it yet. I just wanted to check with you first."

"Okay."

"So, you'd do it?"

"Sure."

"Great. Thanks." Lorelai's smile widened as she clapped with her hands in excitement. "Just don't tell Luke yet, okay? It's going to be a surprise." Lorelai grinned, grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee.

"When are you planning to go?" Pete watched her with a frown but then he just shook his head and turned back to what he was doing.

"I thought about leaving this weekend but I have to check with Michel first. I'm pretty sure though that he'll be glad when I'm gone. So, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Okay." He let out a small laugh. "Nice employees you got there."

"I know. It's a bless." Lorelai rolled her eyes but followed by a grin. "Well, thanks then." She made a step closer and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

Luke entered the Diner and set down the bags when he saw Lorelai back in the kitchen. He frowned when he saw her kissing Pete's cheek but he didn't say anything about it. "Got everything."

"Yay." Lorelai grinned and walked out of the kitchen before she took another sip of her coffee.

"What are you doing back there? How many times do I have to tell you that it's _not_ for customers." Luke walked around the counter and was now standing right in front of her.

"I was just…"

"Pete, you know this is a non-custom area. Do you let all people back there when I'm not around?"

"I just thought that she's your girlfriend and…"

"Which makes her still a customer." Luke turned back to Lorelai. "Or do you wanna work here?"

"Not if I can help it."

"Fine." He looked at her for another moment, then his eyes fell on the cup in her hands. "You got that yourself?"

"Huh?" Lorelai asked innocently before she finished her coffee in a long gulp. Placing the cup on the counter, she shifted her gaze back to Luke.

"The coffee."

"Was delicious. Thanks." She planted a soft kiss on his mouth before she grabbed her purse to leave.

"Hey, wait." Luke called after her, frowning.

"What?" Lorelai turned as she reached the door.

"You coming back for lunch?"

"I don't know yet. I'll call you from work." She gave him a small wave and then left. The bells jingled when the door behind her closed.

* * *

_Later that night_

When Lorelai entered Luke's apartment, she found him sitting in his armchair, his eyes closed and his breath steady and slow. She slipped out of her shoes and tiptoed over to him, carefully sitting down on his lap. When she slid her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on his cheek, Luke slowly opened his eyes.

"Hi sleepyhead." Lorelai smiled when she saw his confused look.

"Hey." After a glance at his watch, he added. "Must have fallen asleep."

She slowly ran a finger along his jaw. "Long day again?"

"Kind of. I was just sitting down for a moment." Luke yawned. "Then the tiredness kinda hit me."

"Seems so." Lorelai smiled. "You know, I was thinking about something today."

"That can't be good." Luke said jokingly and saw Lorelai roll her eyes. "Just kidding."

"I'd hope so. Well, uh, I thought about going on vacation. You and me. Together, of course."

"I thought we already agreed on doing that, eventually?"

"Eventually sounds so vaguely. I want it to be more like _soon_."

"Soon?"

"Yeah, like... this weekend." Lorelai said, giving him a smile.

"This weekend?"

"Yeah."

"Now, that's really kinda soon." Luke looked at her for a moment but then he shook his head. "Sorry but I can't."

Lorelai's face fell. "Why not?"

"That's in a few days. I don't have enough time to look for someone who can run the Diner while I'm gone. Things need to be arranged. I don't know if I can close the Diner for a few days."

"You don't have to. I have everything planned out already."

"Planned out?"

"Yes. Pete will run the place while we're gone. That's what I was asking him this morning. He agreed. See, problem solved."

"Pete." Luke repeated, resting his head on the back of his armchair. "You really put a thought into this already."

"He's working for you for a few weeks now. He knows how to handle things. Besides, there's Cesar too." Lorelai looked at him, her head tilting. "So?"

"I'd like to have my Diner still standing when I'm back, you know?"

"What do you think is going to happen?"

"Well, god knows. They could burn it down or something." When he saw Lorelai roll her eyes, he added. "Okay, probably not."

"They can do this. Trust them." Lorelai smiled. "And I'm not just saying that."

"You really want this, do you?"

"Don't you?"

Luke thought for a moment, then he let out a sigh. "Of course I do. You know that."

"What's keeping you then? You know Pete is the best guy you can get. He's our friend and he's happy to help you out. And not just because of the money."

"Well then." Luke laughed. "To be honest, I could use a little break from work."

"That's what I was thinking." Lorelai ran a single finger over his cheek. "You're working too much anyway. Getting up early and working late. That shows."

"Yeah. I feel kinda beat lately."

"Awww." She leaned forward and cupped his face before she slowly started to nibble on his lower lip. She felt Luke's hands slipping around her waist, his fingers slowly gliding up and down her back. "My poor baby." Lorelai whispered against his mouth before she fully kissed him. Slowly but deep.

"Yah." Luke mumbled between kisses, never breaking fully apart.

Their kissing intensified. Lorelai's fingers slid into Luke's hair and she shifted a little to sit more comfortably on his lap. Luke's arms rested securely around her, playing with the hem of her shirt so that his fingers came in contact with her soft skin.

Then Luke suddenly eased back and their eyes met. "What about that party thing?"

Without breaking eye contact, Lorelai opened the first button of his shirt. A little out of breath, she asked. "The wedding reception? What about it?"

"You wanna leave this weekend, so... we can't go to that thing, right?"

"I have to be there. That's why we're leaving on Sunday,_ after_ the reception."

"Great." Luke rolled his eyes, sighing. "I'm not sure if I'm coming with you, though."

"What? But you said..."

"I didn't say anything. And I have to work anyway."

"Lame excuse. _Very_ lame."

"It's not. You wanna leave on Sunday, so Pete needs to know all..."

"He already knows everything and we both know that."

"But..."

"Nah, stop it. It's not working. You can't talk yourself out of this."

"We'll see about that."

"Yes, we will." Lorelai gave him a small grin as she slid the shirt off his shoulders and traced her fingers over Luke's chest. Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his ear. "You coming with me?"

"No." Luke closed his eyes. When he felt her lips on his neck, he sighed.

Her mouth skimmed along his jaw, down the column of his throat. Gently, she slipped her arms around Luke's neck and asked again. "Please?"

"You're not playing fair." Luke responded with a sigh, his eyes still closed.

"A woman has to have her tricks." She whispered and leaned closer and rubbed her lips over his. Softly. Teasingly.

Groaning, Luke reached out to open the buttons of her blouse and yanked it down her soulders. Slowly, his fingers traced up her arms and he felt her shivering under his touch. Their kissing became more passionate as they pressed their bodies together, holding each other close.

"You coming with me?" Lorelai brought out again in a whisper before she pressed Luke back against the armchair, straddeling him.

"Okay." He breathed out, his hand reaching up behind her neck to bring her down again.

"Yay, I won." She giggled. Then her mouth found his again and her fingers threaded through his hair.

"Only this time." And with a sigh, Luke let himself sink into it.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Still reading? Please leave a review. Thanks. )_

**Happy Holidays, everyone!!! **


	35. Chapter 35

_Holy sh, I really didn't plan to wait that long to update with a new chapter. What can I say, life got in the way again. I had half of the chapter ready about 2 weeks ago but then I didn't like it anymore and I had to re-write it completely. Uagh._

Anyway, hope you enjoy it. 

* * *

**Chapter 35**

"Sookie, I…" Lorelai rushed into the kitchen of the Inn but stopped when she saw what her friend was working on. Blinking a few times, she finally uttered a short, "Wow."

Not looking up from what she was doing, Sookie grinned and continued forming small rose pedals as decoration for the wedding cake. "You like it?"

"That cake is huge. And if I say huge, I mean _really_ huge."

Sookie lifted her head and met Lorelai's eyes, lifting a brow. "That's not an answer to my question."

"Sorry, it's just… wow. Sure, I like it. How couldn't I?" She made a step closer, still staring at the cake. "What's it of? It looks delicious."

"It's a champagne cake with butter cream icing. I found a recipe the other day but I wasn't quite satisfied with it, so I changed it a little. I put mango pieces in it and lots of …" She suddenly stopped talking when she noticed what Lorelai was wearing. "_Wohoo_, look at you."

"What?"

"Your dress. You look… _hot_. Turn around. Turn around. I wanna see the back." She waited until Lorelai made a half turn and then squealed in excitement.

"Sookie, stop it. It's just a dress." Lorelai laughed but felt a blush rising in her cheeks.

"Has Luke already seen you in this?"

"Not yet."

"That's probably for the best."

"What? Why?"

"Because the moment he sees you, he _so_ wanna get you out of that dress and…"

"Sookie."

"What? I'm just saying." Sookie giggled before she went to the fridge, taking out a bowl of cherries.

"It's a wedding reception. And I did not only organize that whole thing, I'm also a guest. So I thought wearing a dress like this is only appropriate." Lorelai told her with folded arms. Then she slightly panicked. "God, I'm overdressed, am I?"

"No, I didn't say that. I was just admiring your dress. In jealousy. That's all." When she saw Lorelai reaching for the bowl of cherries, she made a step forward and blocked her way.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Hon, you don't wanna get stains on your dress, do you?"

"I won't."

"Well, with me around, you'll never know. Step back. _Step back_!" Satisfied when Lorelai did so, she continued with her decoration. "So, where's Luke."

"I don't know. We didn't really agreed on a specific time. I just told him to come as soon as he can."

"How did you make him come anyway? Luke's not the type of man who enjoys something like this. People. Dancing. _Socializing_."

"Well, I can be pretty persuasive if I want something." Lorelai chuckled slightly before she looked down on the floor, averting Sookie's eyes.

"Oh?" Sookie studied her friend and it took her only a few moments before she realized what Lorelai was referring to. "_OH_! You mean, you asked him during…"

"Sookie." Lorelai let out a laugh, her eyes darting around the kitchen. "Would you be quiet, please? And _no_, it's not what you're thinking. Well. Not quite."

"Not quite? What does that mean?"

"You know, I was just being seductive and that works pretty well on him." Lorelai told her giggling and secretly snagged one of the cherries.

"Men are so easy, aren't they?"

"Yeah. They are. But it's fun to make them do everything you want. I certainly won't complain." Lorelai met Sookie's eyes and they both started to giggle.

"There you are."

Snatching one last cherry, she moved around and looked at Michel who was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, giving her an annoyed look.

"Yes, here I am. What is it?"

"I was looking for you _everywhere_ and I don't even know why." He slipped his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Apparently I'm some kind of slave even though I was thinking those times are over by now."

"Michel." Lorelai said with a sigh. "What is it?"

"He's here." When he saw Lorelai's puzzled look, he added. "Luke. And he looks… different. I almost didn't recognize him. Seems like he finally got himself a mirror."

"Oh, shut up, Michel." Sookie said, rolling her eyes.

"That's the jealousy speaking. I learned to ignore it." She gave Sookie a wink before she hurried out the door and into the lobby. And there he was. Luke, clad in a black suit, his hair combed and apparently feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Hey, I was told my boyfriend is here." Lorelai said grinning as she walked up to him.

When Luke heard her, he moved around, throwing a smile in her direction. "Yeah."

"Then where is he?"

"Well..." Luke looked around but then shrugged. "Maybe I should go look for him." When he turned to leave, Lorelai grabbed his arm and pulled him close.

"Funny. You're not going anywhere." Grinning, she slipped her arms around Luke's neck and looked into his deep blue eyes. "Hi."

"Hey." Luke said in a low voice. His eyes wandered down her body and he took in the sight of her dress. "You look gorgeous. Is that the new dress you bought yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"I like it." Luke gave her a flirtatious smile. "You think the bride is okay with this? I mean, that you look better than her?"

"You didn't even see her yet, so how do you know?"

"Well, I got pretty good instincts and they tell me that no one here looks as good as you today." He pulled her a little closer, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. "Can't wait for tonight when I'll get you out of it."

"Sookie knew you'd say that." Lorelai told him laughing.

"What? Are you two talking about me?"

"Well, in a matter of fact, we do." She nodded. "Sometimes."

"Uh huh."

Smiling, Lorelai hold his gaze as she ran her fingers over his tie. "Is it really that bad?"

"What?"

"Wearing the suit."

"Once a year, it's fine. I'll survive." Luke chuckled, his hands wrapping around her.

"Well, you better do. You still owe me a dance."

"I do?"

"Yes, don't you remember? Yesterday? You promised."

Luke pretended to think for a moment. Then he shook his head. "No, I don't remember."

She playfully slapped his chest and let out a small laugh. "Of course you do. It was when... you know, after we..."

"Sorry, no memories of that, whatsoever." Luke shook his head again and he did his best to stay serious.

"Liar." Lorelai rolled up on her toes to give Luke a long and lingering kiss. Pressing herself into him, she deepened it for another moment, then she eased back.

"You taste good." Luke whispered, licking his lips. "What did you just eat?"

"I… oh, cherries." She gave him a grin and bit her lower lip.

He bent down and brushed his lips against hers again and get more of that incredibly sweet taste that only she had. When they heard someone clearing his throat, they immeditaly pulled apart.

"Excuse me. I didn't mean to interrupt." Michel said with a slightly disgusted undertone.

"Oh, why don't I believe you?"

"There's someone who wants to talk to you." Michel told her, handing her the phone.

"Who is it?"

"How would I know?"

"Well, didn't you ask?" When she got no answer, she just snagged the phone. "Apparently, you didn't. Hallo? Oh Dad… hold on a second." Pressing the phone against her chest, she glared at Michel. "You knew it. You _knew_ who it was and you gave me the phone anyway?"

"I'm sorry but he wanted to talk to you."

"So what? You could have told him I'm busy."

"But you weren't." His eyes wandered to Luke and then back to her again. "I certainly won't lie to your parents." And with that he turned on his heals and strolled away.

"Argh. Unbelievable." Taking a deep breath, she tried herself to calm down. Rolling her shoulders, she turned back to Luke. "Okay, I don't know how long this is going to take. Why don't you just go outside and get yourself a beer or something?"

"Uhm, okay. Beer sounds good."

"I'll be with you in a few minutes. Promise." Lorelai gave him a quick peck on the lips, then she pressed the phone against her ear. "Dad? Hi, sorry I kept you waiting. Why are you calling?"

Luke watched her walk away before he went outside on the porch, looking at the party that was going on. There was a big tent in the backyard underneath they built up a bar. There was also a rather huge buffet where Sookie outdid herself by probably making hundreds of different canapés. A band was playing slow songs where some people were dancing to. The whole backyard was decorated with tulle and flowers and everything looked absolutely perfect. He couldn't believe that Lorelai was managed to do all this in only two days.

Taking a deep breath, Luke took in the surroundings once again before his eyes locked on the bar. He walked down the porch steps to get himself a beer. After Matt, the bartender, handed him one, he took a few sips and felt himself relax a little.

And right when he thought that maybe this whole thing wasn't that bad after all, he noticed a woman walking straight into his direction, giving him a big smile.

Luke immediately grabbed his beer to walk back inside but it was too late. The woman had already reached him and greeted him with a small, 'Hi."

Reluctantly, Luke cleared his throat. "Hey."

By looking at her, he figured she was in her late twenties. Her hair was long, blonde, and a little curly. She was wearing a tight pink and shimmering dress that ended a few inches above her knees. With one look at her face, Luke noticed that she was wearing way too much makeup. Not to mention the red lipstick that didn't really go well with her dress. That's something even _he_ could tell.

"Hi, I'm Cindy." She said in a high pitched voice, twirling a strand of hair around one of her fingers as she smiled at Luke as seductively as possible.

_God help me._

Swallowing hard, Luke immediately regretted going outside. Damn it. What was he thinking?

"Nice to meet you. I was just about to…"

"And you?"

"Huh?"

"Do _you_ have a name?"

"Luke. I'm Luke."

"Hi, Luke." Cindy shifted a little closer to him. Instinctively, Luke made a step back. "I just noticed that you're all alone. And since I'm alone too, I thought, maybe you wanna dance?"

"No, sorry. I don't really dance." Luke shook his head and gave her a polite smile. "Look, I have to…"

"Well, then I'll keep you company over here, if that's okay with you." She didn't wait for Luke's answer and sat down on one of the bar stools. "What are you having?"

Frowning, Luke's eyes fell on his beer. He slightly lifted his glass, showing it to her. "A beer."

"Right." She giggled. After ordering herself a Gin Tonic, she turned back to Luke. "So, are you friends with Jenna or Bill?"

Luke gave her a puzzled look as he didn't know who she was referring to but then he figured that she was probably talking about bride and groom. "Uhm, with neither of them, actually."

"Oh? Well, I'm a friend of Jenna's. We know each other since high school. I just can't believe she's married now. I was her bridesmaid, by the way, but I'm sure you've seen that at the ceremony, right? It was amazing, wasn't it? When they said their vows. It got me all teary."

"Oh well... " Luke forced a smile before he took another sip of his beer.

"So, what do you do for a living? No wait, let me guess. Considering your looks…" She tapped a finger at her chin, thinking. "You totally have a lawyer vibe to me. Or maybe an accountant?"

The last word made Luke almost choke on his beer. "I own a restaurant. A _Diner_."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah."

"That's nice. I admire people who have their own business. I have one, too."

"You have?"

"I own a cosmetic studio. I also do hair and nails. Stuff like that."

_Who would've guessed?_

"That sounds interesting but I'm sorry, I should go back inside now..."

"Wait a second." She fumbled in her purse to pull out a small business card. "Take this. It has my address and phone number on it. In case you wanna stop by sometime for… a personal consultation or…" She batted her eyelashes and nibbled on her lower lip. "…something else."

But before Luke could say anything, Lorelai pushed herself between them and snatched the card out of Cindy's fingers. Giving her an annoyed look, she tore the card apart and let its pieces fall down on the grass. "I don't think so."

"_Hey_! I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to _him_." The woman frowned and looked at her shredded card.

"But _I_ was talking to _you_ and I tell you, he's not interested."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm his _girlfriend_. And now, shoo. _Shoo_!" Lorelai motioned her to leave. Cindy gave Luke one last glance and with a sigh she walked away.

"Oh thank god…"

"I leave you alone for five minutes and you already got some _blonde_ stick by your side. " Lorelai turned back to Luke, her eyes narrowed as she was looking at him.

"That woman literally threw herself at me. I was just standing here, drinking my beer and there she was, coming out of nowhere, telling me stuff that I wasn't even interested in, like that she was Jenna's bridemaid and stuff."

"Uh-huh."

"Are you jealous?" Luke mouth twitched into a grin.

"What if I am?"

"Then I'm telling you that it's not necessary. She wasn't my type _at all_."

Lorelai's lips twitched into a smile. "That's what I wanted to hear."

"Plus, she thought I'm an accountant. Do I look like an accountant to you?"

"She said that?" Lorelai giggled but stopped when she saw Luke's stern face. "I'm sorry. Next time we see her, I'm going to kick her with my high heels. I promise."

"That's my girl." Luke laughed and pulled her close.

Grinning she gave him small kiss. Then she mumbled against his lips. "And your girl wants to dance now."

"Lorelai, no …"

"You owe me after I saved you from that crazy chick. Come on."

Luke only rolled his eyes and let her drag him with her on the dance floor.

* * *

When it started to get dark outside, dozens of lanterns and garden lights allocated everywhere, touched the backyard into a soft light. Lorelai stood on the porch, leaning against the railing and watching the party from a far distance.

Luke stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to the side of her neck. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, I was just..." She paused for a moment. "They look happy, don't they?"

"Jenna and Bill? Well, they better do. It's their wedding day."

"I know." Lorelai smiled and leaned back against Luke, while she continued watching them on the dance floor. "It's just nice to see that. See her that happy. She deserves it."

"Sounds like you're a little jealous."

Frowning, Lorelai turned around in Luke's arms and looked into his eyes. "Why are you saying this? I'm not jealous. I have everything I could wish for."

"Yeah?"

"Of course. Silly you." Lorelai slid her arms around Luke and rested her head against his chest, hugging him closely. They stayed like this for a long moment until Luke pulled apart. "What is it?"

"You're shaking. Take this." He slipped out of his jacket and put it over her shoulders.

Lorelai hugged herself into the jacket and looked up into Luke's eyes. "And now you're the one who's freezing."

"I'm not."

"Well then. Thanks." She pressed her lips against Luke's before she let out a dreamy sigh. "Told you. Everything I could wish for."

* * *

_After midnight_

Giggling, Lorelai pushed open the door to Luke's apartment. "I can't believe Bill actually did this."

"Yeah. Question is, why didn't anybody stop him?"

"Right, because seriously, his body is _so_ not that great to look at. Oooh. _You_ should have done it instead of him. Yes, Luke. Why didn't you?" Lorelai turned to Luke and somehow stumbled over her own feet, so that Luke had to catch her from falling.

"Because I _do_ _not_ strip on a wedding reception. Period."

"Well, you don't strip on a wedding reception or you do not strip at all?"

"Lorelai."

"I'm just asking because maybe you wanna strip for me sometime? Only for me? Please. Pretty pretty, _pleeeeeease_." Lorelai looked at him, pouting.

"Jesus, how many of those margaritas did you have?"

"Margaritas?" She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she tried to remember. "Three I guess. Don't know how many of those tequila shots I had though. I stopped counting after the fourth."

"You're drunk."

"I'm _not_." She started giggling and almost tripped again when she slipped out of her shoes. "Okay, maybe I'm a little tipsy. But _not_ drunk, you hear me?"

"Whatever you're saying." Even though Luke did his best to stay serious, he couldn't hide a small chuckle when he was looking at her. "I'm going to make you some coffee."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"You never let me have coffee when it's that late."

He went over to the kitchen and filled some coffee into the coffee machine. "That's an exception, so don't get used to it. I just hope that it will you to get sober."

Watching him doing what he said, she followed him into the kitchen and slid down on a chair. "How come you aren't drunk. Not even tipsy?"

"Because I can controll myself. _And_ because we're going on vacation tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, so?"

"And someone needs to drive the car. _I_ need to drive the car... _without_ getting arrested."

"Ooooh, that makes sense." She thought for a moment before she added, smiling. "My Luke. You've always been the responsible one."

A few minutes later, Luke handed her a cup of hot and steamy coffee. Lorelai took it gratefully and started taking small gulps. "Mhhh, good stuff."

"You also said that when you emptied those margaritas earlier." Luke smirked and got himself a glass of water.

"Haha, funny. Why don't you just start packing, pal?"

"Yeah, right. Almost forgot about that." Luke rolled his eyes and walked over to the bed to pull out a sports bag from underneath.

"What's that?"

"My bag?"

Frowning, Lorelai looked at it. "We're not making a trip to the gym. Don't you have a suitcase?"

"Why? What's wrong with that bag?"

Finishing her cup of coffee, she placed it on the kitchen counter. "Nothing. But a suitcase is bigger and for approximately ten days of vacation, you need more stuff than what fits into that bag, baby."

Blowing out a breath, Luke pulled a black suitcase out of the storage. "Something like that?"

"Yes, that's more like it." Lorelai giggled. "And now the packing." She walked to Luke's closet and rummaged through it, taking out some shirts and jeans and stuff she thought he might need. Then he handed them to Luke. "Since we don't know where we're going, we gotta be prepared for everything. Warm. Cold. Rain. Snow. Okay, scratch the last one. It probably won't snow in June."

"Only if you plan to go to Alaska."

"Uagh, not really. Well, that gotta do it, I think." She glanced over at Luke who was filling the suitcase with his clothes. "You can get some socks and underwear while I go get you your bathroom stuff. Anything important you need?"

"Just the usual."

"'Kay." Lorelai smiled and disappeared into the bathroom.

Rummaging through his underwear drawer, Luke grabbed a handful of socks, when he suddenly noticed a small box hidden in the back of the drawer. Hesitantly, he pulled it out and knowing what was inside, he opened it ever so slowly. Hidden inside was a beautiful golden ring. It was his mothers and he'll never forget the day his father gave it to him, telling him that one day, when he found the right girl, he should give it to her. All these years, Luke had it stored in the back of his drawer and he actually already forgot about it.

Until now.

He walked over to the bed and turned on the small lamp on his nightstand to study the ring more closely. It was a simple one with a small single diamond that sparkled in the light. Luke felt his heart beat faster as he kept on thinking about his father's words. And one thing was sure, he already found the right girl.

"Luke?"

He jumped when he heard Lorelai's voice and immediately let the small box disappear in his pockets. Then he turned around. "Yeah?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Sure."

"I was asking you what razor to pack."

"Uhhh... the electric one."

"Then the electric one it is. And you, hurry up a little." Lorelai gave him a smile and walked back into the bathroom.

Taking a deep breath, Luke continued to look at the bathroom door, a small smile played on his lips as he contineud to think about what he intended to do…

**_To be continued... _**

* * *

_Hope you liked it and that it wasn't too boring.  
In case you're still reading, make me happy and leave a review. Thanks. :) _


	36. Chapter 36

_First of all, wow, I still can't believe that GG is over. And right when it started to get good again. Damn it. I'm still sad about it and therefor it was kind of difficult for me to finally finish this chapter. I got over my depression now though. Well, kind of. Or maybe I still haven't realised it yet. Don't know.  
Well, I'm truly sorry that you had to wait that long for another chapter. So so sorry. And I'm not even sure if that chapter is any good. Don't expect anything else but pure L/L fluff. ;)_

* * *

**Chapter 36 **

Lorelai didn't really remember who's idea it was to set the alarm for 9am in the morning but she was all but very little amused by the fact that the ringing pulled her out of her tight sleep. It took them quite some hours the night before, until they had everything packed and ready for their vacation. First, they had to take Luke's stuff from his apartment and then they headed over to Lorelai's house to do the same. She had already started packing in the afternoon but with the work and the wedding reception, she couldn't get everything done in time. And so they had to do it in the middle of the night. Slightly drunk, how Luke told her. However, she preferred the term _tipsy_.

Lorelai rolled over and noticed Luke already sitting up in bed, stretching his arms above his head. Rubbing her tired eyes, she mumbled a short "Hey."

"Morning." He gave her a small smile before he leaned down to give her a kiss. Then he eased back and studied her for a moment. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?" Lorelai asked, innocently, although she knew exactly to what Luke was referring to.

"Well, I thought you might have a little hangover because of yesterday."

"I'm fine. I really wasn't _that_ drunk, Luke. I told you that." Lorelai let her head fall back down on the pillow. "I'm just tired, that's all."

Luke reached over to brush a strand of hair out of her face. "You can sleep in the car." He slipped out of bed and reached for his shirt. "I'll go make you coffee."

"Coffee. God. Yes. The elixir of life." Lorelai rolled to her side, closing her eyes again.

Chuckling, Luke shook his head, slipped into his jeans and walked downstairs into the kitchen.

* * *

After they had breakfast, Luke brought their bags outside to his truck. And seeing that Lorelai had five bags, made him wonder why women always needed that much luggage when they were traveling? It's not like they'd actually need all that in a week. That's not even possible. And when he had asked her, she simply shrugged and told him she'd like to be prepared for every situation possible. So, what possibilities are there? Cold, hot, rain? Well, he was definitely sure there wouldn't be any snow in June. But she was probably prepared for that also.

When Rory came outside, she suddenly stopped when she saw Luke's truck. "Is there something you aren't telling me? It looks like your moving away."

"Yeah." Luke laughed. "I was told it's a vacation though, but you'll never know." When his eyes fell on the basket in Rory's hand, he added. "What's this?"

"Oh, I thought you might get hungry on your way. There's biscuits, cookies, chocolate, candies..." When she heard Luke groan, Rory continued. "And there's a plastic bag full of carrots. Some fruits. Sandwiches. Oh, and a can of coffee for mom and tea for you. Peppermint tea. Hope that's okay?"

"Yes, that's more than okay. Rory, you didn't have to do all this."

"I know. I wasn't sure if you're going to stop by the Diner before you leave, so I fixed you a small travel basket. Mom gets cranky when she's without food but you know that, right?" Rory handed him the basket, smiling.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Thank you." Luke grinned. He took the basket and put it into the car. "Where's your mother anyway? We wanted to leave half an hour ago."

"I don't know. Maybe getting another bag?" Rory smirked and Luke rolled his eyes. "So, are you excited?"

"Yeah, I am. Although, we're not really sure where we're going exactly. Guess we'll see where the road will lead us."

"Sounds good and adventurous." Rory offered him a smile.

"With your mom. Always." Glancing at the house, Luke cleared his throat. "Hey uhm… I wanna show you something." He slipped his hand into his pockets and pulled out the small jewelry box. He flipped it open and showed Rory the ring that once belonged to his mother. "I wanna give this to your mom."

"Oh, wow." Rory looked at it with wide eyes. "It looks beautiful." After a moment, her head shot up and she met Luke's eyes. "Wait a minute. Is this an engagement ring? Are you going to propose to her?"

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Luke let the word out slowly, his eyes still fixed on her. "Is this... a bad idea?"

"No. No it's not. I'm just surprised, that's all." Rory's eyes fell back on the ring, grinning. "It looks beautiful."

"It was my mother's and now I thought that... you know, it would be perfect if... I uh, you know." Luke let out a deep breath. "I just thought your mom might like it."

"Awww, yes. She'll love it. Definitely."

"So, you'd be okay with this? I mean, I could totally understand if you think it's too soon because then I could wait. Or if you think that your mom might not like the idea because it makes her freak out or bolt, then I won't say anything because I don't wanna ruin our vacation. I was just thinking that it might be, you know, a good opportunity when we're away because it's romantic and I uh... well, most of all I wanna make sure you'd be okay with this."

"I am." Rory looked up at Luke and gave him an honest and assuring smile.

"Really?"

"Yes. Really. And I'm pretty sure she's not going to bolt."

"What about Max?"

"That was different. You're not Max."

"No." Luke paused, thinking.

"Don't worry, Luke. Everything's going to be okay. Believe me."

"Well, then." Luke blew out a breath, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Just promise me to not get married in a rush. Like, you know, Las Vegas or something. I really wanna be there when it happens."

"I promise." Luke laughed.

When Rory saw the front door open, she immediately whispered. "Put it away, she's coming."

Luke flipped the box closed and shoved it back into his pockets. Turning around, he saw Lorelai walking towards them. "Finally. Where have you been?"

"I was looking for the camera." She grinned as she walked toward them. "But now I'm here and ready to go."

"Good."

"Rory, mommy's going to miss you." Lorelai pulled her daughter into a big hug. "I'm sorry I have to leave you like this. Be a good girl while we're gone, okay?"

"Mom, I can't breathe." Rory mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry." Lorelai pulled apart, looking at her daughter. "If there's an emergency, call Sookie, Babette or your grandparents. I left you some money on the kitchen table. And if you need anything, call me. I have my cell phone with me."

"Mom, I'm not a baby anymore."

"I know you're not." Lorelai took a deep breath. "Are you planning on throwing a party?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Mom." Rory sighed.

"What? I'm just asking. Some would think that this would be a perfect opportunity."

"Right."

"Guess you're not some people."

"Yeah, guess not."

"Anyway. Bye sweetie." She kissed her daughter on the cheek and opened the passenger seat of the truck to get inside.

Luke waited until Lorelai was inside the car. "So, have fun while we're gone. And I promise I'll bring her back safe."

"I know that, Luke." Rory gave him a small hug and whispered into his ear. "And good luck with... you know."

"Yeah, thanks. Bye." He gave her a small smile before he climbed into the car where Lorelai was already waiting. They waved Rory good bye before he pulled out of the driveway and onto the street.

* * *

_Later that night_

Lorelai fell asleep during the ride. Her head rested on the door of the car, her neck somehow craned in a weird position. It was a miracle that she was able to sleep at all like this. When she suddenly heard someone tapping on her window, she jumped and opened her eyes. Only then she noticed that they weren't on the road anymore. The car was parked and it was already dark outside. When she turned to look at the driver seat, she found it empty and she immediately sat up straight, looking around.

Where was Luke?

Then she heard a tapping again, and she turned to look outside her passenger window where Luke gave her a small wave and motioned her to get out of the car.

Rolling her eyes, she opened the car door and climbed out. "Gee Luke, you scared me."

"Sorry." He reached for her hand and pulled her up.

"Where are we?" She yawned and ran her hand through her tousled hair.

"I thought you wanna stay the night at a motel." Luke tangled a key in front of her face. "Figured you wouldn't be too excited to spend the night in the car."

Lorelai's face lit up. Then she moved closer to give him a small kiss. "You definitely figured that one right. I'm in a desperate need of a shower and a bed."

"Over there's a Diner. You up for a burger?"

"Always." Grinning, she slipped her hand into Luke's as they made their way over to the Diner that was located right next to the Motel.

Inside, they looked for a quiet table at a corner and waited for the waitress to take their order. It was an older lady, around her fifties, with red hair. Her name tag said 'Karen'.

"Hey, what can I get you?"

"A large cup of coffee, please." She noticed Luke's glare but ignored him. Instead, she reached for the menu and flipped through it. "Hmmm. Cheeseburger with double cheese. Chili Fries and onion rings."

Karen just nodded and turned to Luke. "And you?"

"I'll take a water and..." He roamed the menu. "...a turkey burger."

"With fries?"

"No. Make it a small salad, please."

Karen nodded again and walked away.

"What?" Luke asked when he noticed how Lorelai was looking at him.

"I was just thinking about today." She chuckled and leaned a little forward. "I can't wait to wear what you picked out for me in the lingerie store."

Luke smiled, signs of desire flickered in his eyes. "And I can't wait to see you in it."

"I hope so, Mister." She leaned forward a little more and motioned Luke to come closer, like if she wanted to tell him something. Then she slowly cupped his face and brushed her lips tentatively over his, while her fingers ran over the stubble on his cheeks. She felt Luke pull away slightly as if he wanted to say something, probably telling her they couldn't do this in here. But she teased him by running her lips over his bottom lip, slowly seeking entrance to his mouth, and a moment later, Lorelai felt Luke kissing her back. It always worked, she thought grinning against his mouth.

Then someone was clearing his throat and Luke immediately pulled back, his eyes fixed on the table as he waited for his heartbeat to slow down.

The waitress stood at their table, looking down at them with a grin on her face. And when she set down Luke's water and Lorelai's coffee, she leaned down and whispered to Lorelai, "I can't really blame ya, dear." Then she gave Luke a small wink before she added. "Burgers will be ready in a few minutes."

After Karen left their table, Lorelai giggled when she saw Luke's flushed face. But she knew better to let it go and changed the subject. "Soo, how far did we get today?"

"Not that far, actually." Luke replied and took a sip of his water.

"Awww, really?"

"We could have been at the beach by now if you wouldn't have wanted to take a stop all the time."

"I thought shopping would be fun." Lorelai gave him an innocent smile. "And it's not like we're in a hurry or something. Right?"

Nodding, Luke mumbled in a low voice. "Right."

"And if we're at the beach by tomorrow, that's fine too." She mused for a moment, then her forehead creased. "What's this place called anyway?"

A few people turned their heads to look at her and she immediately knew that she should have kept her voice down.

Small towns. All the same.

"You're in Creston, my dear." Karen told her when she came to their table to bring them their food. "You're heading to the beach? That's about 3 or 4 more hours. Tops."

"Thanks." She grabbed her mug and sipped at her coffee but immediately stopped. "Oh my god."

"Is there something wrong?" Karen asked, obviously concerned.

Setting the mug back on the table, Lorelai shook her head. "No, it's just…hot. Burnt my tongue."

"Be careful and enjoy your meal." And with that, the waitress left their table to walk back behind the counter.

"Gawd, this coffee is awful." Lorelai whispered to Luke. "Can I?" Without waiting for his answer, she grabbed his glass of water and took a big sip.

* * *

"Yes, Rory. We're okay." Lorelai told her daughter on the phone when they where back in their motel room. Her gaze followed Luke who had just come out of the bathroom and slipped out of his shirt.

"Good, where are you right now?"

"Uhm…" She watched Luke grabbing the map before he let himself fall on the bed. "We're not in Connecticut anymore. Luke…what's this town called again?"

"Creston."

"Creston. A really small town. And we've just had lunch at a Diner."

"Oh, you found a _Luke's_?"

"Not really. They had the worst coffee ever."

"Uagh. That sucks."

"Yeah, and the burgers weren't that great either." She frowned slightly as she slipped out of her shoes. "And, what have you been up to today?"

"Nothing. I had to finish a paper for my literature class. It's due tomorrow. I ordered some food from Al's. That's about it."

"Whatever happened to my idea of a party?"

"Mom."

"Okay okay. I get it. Well then, have fun with your _paper_."

"Yeah, thanks. "

"I call you tomorrow. Bye." She flipped her cell phone closed and crawled on the bed to Luke. He was lying on his stomach, studying the map.

"What'ya doing?"

"I'm trying to find where we are. We took this road." His eyes followed his finger. "Then the highway south. We stopped somewhere around here because you wanted to see the lake."

"Mh-hm."

"I still don't know where we are right now. That town's not on the map."

"It's probably too small. Hey Luke."

"Yeah." He said absentmindedly, rotating the map in his hands.

"I'm going to take a shower now."

"Yeah." Luke nodded, his eyes still fixed on the map.

Shifting a little closer, Lorelai's mouth found Luke's earlobe. Ever so softly, she started to nibble on it as a single finger ran down Luke's forearm. She grinned when she heard Luke suck in a breath and turned to her.

"Didn't you wanna take a shower?"

Nodding, Lorelai bit her lower lip. "Yeah, I thought, maybe you wanna join?"

Rolling his eyes, Luke let out a soft laugh. "Then why didn't you say so?"

* * *

_Next day – almost midnight _

It actually took them a little longer than expected to reach the beach. Or in other words, it took them a while until they found a nice place to stay. It was spring time after all, so lots of people had the idea of spending some time off from work.

Luke slowed down in front of a bigger hotel than at which they'd been looking before. But it was late and both of them didn't want anything more than a bed and something to eat.

"Okay, do you wanna wait in the car while I go and ask if they have vacant rooms?"

"You wanna stay here?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That hotel looks quite... expensive."

"So?"

"I'm just saying." Lorelai eyed it more closely before she turned back to Luke, grinning. "I bet they have a pool. But seriously, we don't have to stay here. I've seen a sign for a hotel not far from here. 2 stars. Not 4 stars like this one."

"And who guarantees you that this other hotel will have vacant rooms? Look, I'm going inside now. You coming or not?"

"Okay."

They got out of the car and walked through the magnificent entrance into the foyer of the hotel. Lorelai looked around, taking in the quite expensive furniture and decoration. When they approached the front desk, the man greeted them with a small smile.

"Hello." Luke started.

"Good evening."

"We'd like to have a room, please."

"And don't tell us you don't have any rooms. We've been driving around for hours. Seems like every hotel is completely occupied." Lorelai threw in, sounding slightly desperate.

"That's probably because of the festival. You should have made reservations."

"Festival?"

"Yes. The music festival. Different bands from all over the country perform here. For two weeks." He typed something in his computer. "How long do you plan to stay?"

"A week." Luke replied.

"Didn't we agree on ten days?"

"We've been driving around for a few days now. Plus a week, makes it ten days."

"That doesn't count."

"Oh really? Why not?"

"Because."

"Lorelai..."

"Come on, Luke."

"I didn't tell Pete I'd be gone for 2 weeks. I said 10 days. Tops."

"But I told him that we might stay a little longer."

Sighing, Luke shook his head. "Fine. Okay."

"So, 10 days?" The man carefully asked, looking at the couple in front of him.

"Yeah."

"Okay. I need you to fill out this form? And I need to see some ID, please."

Luke pulled out his wallet and put his driver's license on the counter, while Lorelai grabbed a pen and filled out the form.

"We offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. There's also a wellness area and an in- and outdoor swimming pool. If you prefer going to the beach, you only have to go through that door over there. It leads directly on our private beach. The bar is open till midnight. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Is there a place where I should park my car?"

"Yes. We do offer parking spaces as well. Billy will show you and help you with your luggage." He took the form Lorelai handed him back. He smiled before he added. "Thanks. Have a nice stay."

After the bell boy led them to their room, Luke closed the door behind them and turned to Lorelai who was looking around in delight. The room was way bigger than the ones of the Independence Inn. The walls were painted in a soft terracotta and gave the room a nice atmosphere. On the opposite side was a huge glass door which led outside to the balcony.

"Gosh, I love this room."

"It's not bad."

"Not bad? It's amazing. I can't believe we're staying here. Oh, and look at the bed. It's huge and… comfy." When she turned back to Luke, he was looking at her, a small smile playing on his lips. "Don't you like it?"

"I do." He answered in a low voice, looking around himself. "Better than the one we stayed last night."

"Oh yeah, definitely." Lorelai chuckled. "I think I'm going to check out the bathroom now."

"Okay." Luke watched as she closed the door behind her. Then he turned to take in the room himself. Lorelai had been right. The room was nice. And probably very expensive. But he didn't care about the money. Not on their first vacation because he intended to make it special and memorable for her.

Walking over to the balcony, he opened the glass door and stepped outside. Propping his hands on the railing, he stared into the darkness, listening to the waves rolling in.

A few seconds later, he felt Lorelai's arms slipping around him from behind as she pressed herself against his back. "You won't believe what's in the bathroom."

"What?"

"A Jacuzzi."

"Wow."

"Yes. double-wow. We definitely gotta try it out some time soon." She waited a moment before she continued. "Is everything okay?"

Slowly, Luke turned around. "Yeah. Sure. Why wouldn't it?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"Everything's fine. Really."

She looked at him suspiciously and ran her finger along his forehead. "You're thinking about something."

"No."

"Yes. Tell me."

"I…" Luke took in a deep breath. Well, he couldn't tell her what was really on his mind, so he thought about the next plausible thing. "Look, it's nothing. Just work, that's all."

"Work?"

"Yeah."

"But you talked to Pete this morning. You said everything's okay at the Diner."

"Yes, everything's good."

"See, stop worrying."

"I'm not…" Luke paused and looked down on his feet. "Fine, I will."

"Good." Grinning, Lorelai slipped her arms around Luke's neck. "Because, you know, the thing about vacation is, that you have to stop thinking about work. I'm not thinking about the Inn. And you stop thinking about the Diner. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Alright then." Smiling, Lorelai moved closer and slowly pressed her lips against Luke's, giving him a small kiss. "I think I have an idea."

"What idea?"

"Let's go swimming."

Blinking twice, Luke gave her an incredulous look. "You're kidding, right? You do know what time it is."

"So?" Lorelai leaned forward to look down to the swimming pool.

"We can't go swimming _now_."

"Why not? Look at it. It's down there and waiting for us."

"It will still be there tomorrow. Then you can spend the whole day in the pool."

"I wanna go there _now_. When it's dark. With just the pool lights and without other annoying people."

"I'm sure we're not allowed to use the pool in the middle of the night."

"Did he say something about 'Pool Opening Hours'?"

Luke frowned and shook his head. "No but…"

"See, and we're going to be quiet. Come on. Don't be such a baby. It's going to be fun."

"I'm not a baby."

"Then go get your shorts." Grinning, Lorelai dragged him back into the hotel room and Luke followed her, grumbling.

* * *

"I still think this idea is ridiculous." Luke stated as they stopped at the huge swimming pool on the backside of the hotel. He looked around, a little paranoid, but they've been pretty silent when they've sneaked out of their room and down to the pool. Everyone was supposed to be sleeping anyway at this time of day. Or night.

Giggling, Lorelai slipped out of her clothes and indicated Luke to do the same but he just stood there, watching her. "Come on."

Rolling his eyes, Luke dropped the towels on one of the beds. Then he pulled his shirt over his head and slipped out of his pants, muttering. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

Lorelai walked to the steps that led into the pool, sticking her toe into the water. When she felt that it wasn't as cold as she expected, she slowly walked further into the water and started swimming. "Oh, this is so nice."

Luke just sat down by the side of the pool, his feet dangling into the water. He watched her and couldn't help himself but chuckle.

When Lorelai noticed that Luke was still sitting there, she swam over to him. "Don't you wanna come in?"

"The view is pretty good from where I'm sitting."

"Uh-huh." Grinning, Lorelai trailed a single finger up his calve. "I promise it's going to be even better when you're in here." But when Luke did nothing but look at her, she grabbed the side of the pool to push herself out of the water, just long enough to gave Luke a kiss. Then she pulled back, gave him a seductive smile and repeated. "Please?"

Luke's eyes glided down her body, the small drops of water were glistening on her skin.

When she started to freeze, she let herself back into the water again but her eyes never left Luke's. "Please."

He sighed, half heartedly, and slid into the pool himself. He had to admit, it did feel nice. Smiling, he swam to her but before Luke could grab her waist, Lorelai pushed him down by his shoulders and dunked him.

"Hey..." But before Luke could say anything else, Lorelai pushed him under the water again. When he surfaced, he coughed and wiped the water out of his eyes. "What was that for?"

"Well, just because." Lorelai giggled but when she saw Luke's look, she went silent. "Sorry."

"I bet you are."

"I... I really am." When she noticed that Luke slowly approached her, she moved backwards. "Luke..."

"Yeah."

"I told you I'm sorry." Lorelai laughed nervously as she was trying to get away from him.

"Easy to say _now_."

"Well..." Suddenly, she felt her back hitting the pool wall and she knew she was trapped. Biting her lower lip, she grinned at him. "So, what is going to happen now? Revenge?"

"Maybe." Their eyes locked for a moment, then Luke's mouth formed a smile as he gripped the edge of the pool beside her head. "Maybe not."

"I'd be for the latter."

Luke's eyes, lashes thick with water, were serious. He slowly leaned in, stopping with his mouth an inch from hers. "You are such a tease."

"Don't tell me you only noticed that just now." Lorelai said, innocently. Then she grabbed Luke's head to close the distance between them and kissed him. What started slowly at first, changed after a few seconds. Luke opened his mouth to her, slipping his tongue between her teeth to match her own exploration while Lorelai's fingers slid through Luke's wet hair.

Luke's hands slowly dipped into the water, with feather light touches his fingers trailing down the side of her body. When Lorelai wrapped her legs around him, Luke groaned. "Lorelai."

"Mh-hm."

"Let's go back upstairs. Please."

"Yeah." Lorelai pushed back a little and opened her eyes. "We should."

"If you wanna continue what we've started, that is." Luke whispered before he took a deep breath, trying to slow down his heart beat again. His eyes never leaving hers.

"Well, I'd continue it right here and right now but that's probably not such a good idea."

"You know we can't do that. Well, we can. But we shouldn't. Because it's wrong and..." Luke shook his head when he noticed he was babbling. He then grabbed Lorelai's hand and pulled her to the other side of the pool. Both got out of the water and grabbed the towels they brought with them.

"Happy now that you got your midnight swim?"

"I'll be even more happy when we're finally back in our rooms."

Luke snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, right."

"Don't laugh. You'll be as happy. Admit it." Lorelai grinned back at him as she continued drying herself off.

"Right."

Once they've been upstairs in their room again, Lorelai couldn't stop herself from giggleing. "Okay, you gotta admit, that was fun. And refreshing. And nobody caught us." She turned back to Luke. "Well, anyhow. Topic change. Where were we?" Lorelai dropped her towel on the floor and gave him an innocent look.

Luke let out a huge sigh but let his eyes travel down her body. And it were moments like this where he just couldn't believe that she was his. And only his. How did he get so damn lucky to have her in his life? He'll never understand but he certainly won't complain either.

"Luke?"

He looked at her for a moment, then his lips twitched into a smile and he slipped his arms around her. "As if you wouldn't remember."

"Just wanted to make sure if you would." Lorelai grinned before she pulled Luke towards the huge bed...

**To be continued...**

* * *

_I would totally understand if you stopped reading this story. But if you didn't it would be nice to leave a review. Thanks. :)  
ETA: If everything goes like I planned, there's only going to be one more chapter. :)_


	37. Chapter 37

_A/N: Oh my goodness, I'm so very sorry. You have to believe me when I say that I didn't plan on letting you wait that long for the last chapter. But you probably know how it is when the time goes by in the blink of an eye__ and then you realize that you didn't get anything done? That's how it was for me. The whole summer… gone already. Can you believe it?_

_Anyway, here's the last chapter in case people are still reading. I wouldn't want you to leave you hanging. I promised you to finish this story. So there you go. :)_

* * *

**YNA 3****7**

_Sunday morning_

Lorelai woke up first. Glancing over at Luke, she noticed that he was still asleep, snoring softly into his pillow. After getting out of bed, she grabbed the cordless phone from the nightstand, and silently pushed open the door to the balcony to call room service. She was in the mood to have breakfast in bed. And she was pretty sure that Luke would feel the same. After ordering, she got told that it would take 15 minutes, so she decided to call her daughter Rory and check how things are in Stars Hollow. After the first ring, she bit her lower lip as she realized how early in the morning it was. Well, for a Sunday anyway.

A few moments later, she heard a groaning answer.

"Hey, it's me." Lorelai said cheerfully as she sat down on one of the chairs on the balcony, enjoying the view.

"Mom?" Rory paused for a second and Lorelai figured that she probably just checked her watch. Then she heard her groan. "Do you realize what time it is?"

"Yeah. Sorry, hon. Did I wake you?" She asked innocently, although she pretty much figured because of her daughter's sleepy voice.

"Yeah, it's weekend. What do you think?"

"You don't usually sleep _that_ long. Not even on the weekends. You're always up first." Lorelai paused to think for a moment. "Unless…"

"What?"

"There was a party yesterday. Was there a party?"

"No. No party." Rory sighed and sat up in her bed, rubbing her tired face.

"Uh-huh."

"Just movie night with Dean. It got pretty late."

"Oh."

"Yeah, he came over and brought some movies." She paused for a second. "That was okay, right? I mean, for Dean to come over?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Lorelai assured her hesitantly.

"Well, and since I'm up already anyway, how's your vacation treating you? You have fun?"

"Yeah. We're having a good time."

"Nice to hear." Rory paused for a moment. "Anything interesting happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, uh, I mean, what did you do so far?"

"Believe it or not but there were actually days were we left the hotel room."

"Uh-huh." Too much information, Rory thought.

"No, just kidding.' Or not. "We spent some days at the beach or by the pool. I dragged Luke to go shopping with me and he even got me to see an exhibition."

"Seriously? What kind of exhibition?"

"Old cars. Old timers and such. It wasn't so bad though." Lorelai giggled as she thought about what Luke promised her in return. That was definitely the good part of the day.

"What?" Rory asked when she heard her mother giggling.

"Nothing."

Rory knew better than to keep asking further. So she changed the subject. "What are your plans for today?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm trying to get Luke to go to the music festival with me."

"Music festival?"

"Yeah, I told you about that the other day, remember? A reason why it took us _forever_ to find a room. Everything's booked out. How come I didn't know about this? Or _you_ didn't know about this? Lane must have known. Anyway, I wanted to go check it out. Maybe I can get Luke to do that with me today. You think he would?"

"I don't know. Maybe, if you ask him nicely."

"Oh, I will." Lorelai giggled, thinking about a way to persuade him. He could never say no to her anyway. Well, most of the time.

"Well, good luck then."

"Thanks." Lorelai smiled and turned her head when she heard a knock on the door. "Rory, I gotta go. Room service is here. I'll call you again. Maybe tomorrow."

"Sure, okay. Have fun. Bye."

"Bye, hon." Lorelai walked back into the room, glanced at Luke who still seemed to be asleep, before she hurried to open the door.

"Good morning." A young man said, smiling. "Your breakfast."

"Thanks, I can…"

But before Lorelai could say more, she had to step aside as the room service guy pushed the cart past her into the room. He sat the tray with the food on the table before he turned back to look at Lorelai. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"No, we're good. Thank you." Lorelai shook her head and handed him a tip.

Smiling, he took the money and left silently.

"Next time you let some guy into our room, tell me first." Luke mumbled as he rolled onto his back, looking at her.

"Hi. Sorry." Lorelai grinned. "That was just Matt. The room service guy."

"Uh-huh." Luke yawned and rubbed his tired face. "Room service, huh?"

"Yep." Lorelai took the tray and walked back to the bed, setting it down in front of them. "Thought you like? Plus, I was sure you'd be in no condition to make it downstairs anytime soon, sleepyhead." Lorelai teased and leaned over to give Luke a peck on the lips. "Morning."

"Morning. And if that would be my fault. You wore me out last night."

"Yeah, sure." Lorelai rolled her eyes but let out a small laugh.

"Besides, 9am is not that late. Not for a vacation anyway." Luke sat up, pushing the sheets away to make room for the tray. "Breakfast sounds good though. I'm starved."

"That's what I figured." Lorelai smiled and handed him the glass of orange juice.

After Luke took a sip, he grabbed a croissant. "So, any ideas of what we could do today?"

"Well, in fact." Lorelai grinned and reached for the brochures on her nightstand. She handed them to Luke.

Luke studied them for a few seconds before he turned back to look at her. "The music festival?"

"Yes." Lorelai nodded eagerly.

"Lorelai." Luke sighed and flipped through one of the folders. "Isn't there anything else we could do?"

"Probably but I'd really like to go check it out. Come on, it could be fun. Please?"

"Fun? Right."

"Look, it would be stupid to not go. Others come from far away to see it." Lorelai scooted a little closer to him. "And there's beer."

"You know I'm not into that kind of stuff."

"Not into beer? Since when?"

"I'm talking about the music."

"I already told Rory we're going. I wanted to bring her a shirt."

"You talked to Rory? When?"

"Earlier. I've been up for a while."

"Uh-huh." Luke rubbed his neck.

"Please."

Sighing, Luke flipped through the folders again before he turned back to look at Lorelai. "There are no boy bands and such. I don't really wanna see those."

"No. It's a rock festival. See?" She took one of the folders out of Luke's hand. "Not that I know any of those bands but judging by those pictures…"

"So, no 'Nsync music or stuff like that?"

Lorelai giggled. "You know 'Nsync?"

"Yeah well, who doesn't?"

"True." Lorelai was still grinning. "So, are we going?"

Luke let out a huge sigh. "Only if we leave if I don't like it."

"Sure."

"Okay then."

"Yaaaay!" Lorelai squealed in excitement and gave him a wet kiss on the lips.

* * *

_Same day – later in the evening_

„Admit it. You didn't like it." Lorelai asked Luke as they sat in the Restaurant, eating dessert.

"That's not true. It was nice." Luke said, referring to the music festival Lorelai wanted to check out. And thanks to her famous pout and her pleading look, it was fairly easy to make Luke go with her. It always worked.

"Nice?"

"Yeah. Just… a little crowded maybe." Luke clarified.

"Aww, you mean you didn't like people pumping into you or screaming into your ear? How come?" Lorelai grinned and took another spoon of her ice cream into her mouth.

"Very funny. That man behind me was extremely annoying. And a little creepy with his black clothes, black hair and… black finger nails."

"You mean the one who used more mascara than I did?"

"Yep, that would be the one." Luke laughed. "Anyway, the music was good though. Not on that particular stage but on the others. There was some good stuff too."

Lorelai smiled. "See, I was sure you'd like it. I'm glad we went."

"Me too."

"And what are we going to do tomorrow?"

"I don't know? Any ideas?"

"Hmmm." Lorelai thought for a moment. "What about just going to the beach? Swimming. Sunbathing. Just being lazy. We deserve that after today. All the walking and standing. My feet hurt. Yours too?"

"A little."

"Lucky you haven't been wearing my shoes." Lorelai paused for a moment. "A foot massage could help though."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. I remember your fingers being all talented."

"Is that so."

Lorelai nodded. "I definitely wouldn't say no if you'd volunteer."

"And if I don't?" Luke let out a laugh.

"Oh, you wouldn't do that to me, would you?" Lorelai pouted, looking at him with puppy eyes. "You'd get something in return too."

"Like what?"

"Well…" She thought for a moment, then gave him a big grin. "I give you some hints. You. Me. The Jacuzzi. Whipped cream."

Hesitantly, Luke broke her gaze and called for the waiter. "Check, please."

* * *

_Next day – at the beach_

"Luke?" Lorelai said but when he didn't seem to hear, she repeated and poked him with her pen. "Luke?"

Sighing, he opened his eyes and blinked at her. "What now?"

"Just one more time. Please."

"You already said that like ten minutes ago."

"I know but I'm almost done anyway." Lorelai drummed with her pen on the magazine, studying the crossword puzzle. "Animal with four letters. And believe it or not, I can't think of one. They have either more or less letters. Look. Cat. Dog. Monkey. Elephant. Donkey. Snake. Snail. Ugh. See?"

"Uhm." Luke thought for a moment. Then he tried. "Fish?"

"Nope. There can't be an H."

"Okay. Bear?"

"No."

"Lion?"

"N…, oh wait. L-I-O-N. Yes, that's it!"

"Good."

"Thanks, baby. I knew you're not only my boyfriend because sex with you is great." Lorelai shot him a grin and filled in the missing word into the crossword puzzle.

"What?" Luke let out a small laugh.

"Yeah. It's also because of your looks. You look totally hot when you're naked." She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Dressed too but even more when you're naked."

"Uh-huh. If you say so." He smirked and rested his head back on the towel.

"Yep, believe me. I know what I'm talking about." Lorelai put away the magazine and scooted closer to her boyfriend.

"Uh-huh." Luke mumbled, his eyes already closed to catch some more sleep.

Lorelai grinned and traced a single finger down Luke's arm. Then she had an idea. She reached over to her bag and took out her camera. Glancing shortly at Luke, she rolled onto her back and held the camera a good arm length away. Then she moved closer to him and gave him a peck on the lips while she secretly made a picture. Grinning, her tongue travelled to his ear where she started nibble on his earlobe. That was when Luke turned his face and met her lips in a gentle kiss, his eyes still closed. They kissed each other for a longer moment but when Luke noticed her outstretched arm, he stopped and pulled back. He frowned as he noticed the camera in her hand.

"Don't tell me you made pictures of this. Us."

"Well…"

"Lorelai."

"What?" She rolled on her back and switched the mode on her camera to show Luke the pictures she just took. "Look at your face while I'm doing the tongue thing. You _so_ like that." She giggled. "And here? Luke, my oh my, so much PDA. Who would have thought you could be like that."

"I can't believe you made pictures of this."

"Why not? Rory said she wants to see lots of pictures when we get back."

"But not of _this_."

"Hmm." Lorelai mused and figured it would be better to not tell him about the other pictures she took, secretly. Like when he was asleep, when he came out of the shower only wearing a towel or when he got dressed. She just had to capture him like this. "I thought it would be nice to put them in our very first 'vacation scrapbook'."

"Vacation scrapbook?"

"Yep."

"What for?"

"What for?" Lorelai sighed. "Luke, what do you think? We could hand it around on the next town meeting or even better, on the next Friday Night Dinner. Oh wait, there are no such dinners anymore. At least, not for now. So the town meetings should do." Lorelai turned to look at him and saw him shaking his head.

"Very funny."

"Oh, that wasn't a joke. I'm pretty sure the residents of Stars Hollow are very interested in our very first vacation together. You know we are the town's dream couple. It's like being famous. Life's hard when you're a celebrity, mister."

Luke just shook his head as he rolled on his back. "God help me."

Grinning, she made one last picture of grumpy Luke. Then she put her camera back into her bag. "Hey Luke?"

"What?"

"Wanna go swimming?"

"Now?"

"Well, duh. You don't need to sleep when we're on the beach. You can still do that during the night."

"As if you'd let me." He mumbled but let Lorelai pull him up into a sitting position.

"Come on. Up, up, Mister."

* * *

_In the afternoon_

"I'm getting myself a drink. You want something too?"

Lorelai thought for a moment. Then she looked up at Luke who slipped into his shirt. "Ice cream wouldn't be all that bad, now that you're asking."

"Any wishes?"

"Uhhhmmm, I don't like lemon and strawberry. Others than that, I'm not picky."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Smiling, she watched as Luke walked back to the hotel. Then she settled back on her towel to enjoy the sun prickling on her skin. Suddenly, she noticed a shadow above her and was surprised how fast Luke got back.

"That was fast, Luke. Did you run?" Lorelai asked, without opening her eyes.

When the shadow didn't move and she didn't seem to get a reaction at all, she opened her eyes and blinked at whoever was standing there, blocking her sun.

"Oh, you're not Luke."

"No." The tall guy answered shortly, giving her a flirtatious smile. He was approximately 25 years old, tanned and not that bad looking. He was a little skinny though for her taste. Some more hours at the gym certainly wouldn't hurt. "I'm Mike."

"Uh, okay."

"And your name is?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Just because."

"Yeah, that's a reason." Lorelai paused. When she noted that he wouldn't go away, she sighed. "Lorelai. That's my name."

"Pretty. I like it."

"Thanks" She narrowed her eyes at him. "So, what's up, Mike? Is there a reason why you're standing there, blocking my sun?" She said, propping herself up on her elbows to look at him.

"Your sun?"

"You know what I mean."

"You see my buddies over there? We're playing beach volleyball but we're one man short. I wanted to ask if you wanna join?"

Lorelai's eyes wandered over to the two guys who seemed to be even younger than Mike. "Me? I don't do sports." She answered, shaking her head.

"What?" Mike laughed and let his eyes wander over her body. "That can't be true."

"It is. Sorry, you have to look for someone else. I'm kinda busy here anyway."

"Busy? Doing what?"

"Well, sunbathing?" Lorelai answered and grabbed the bottle of sunscreen. She squeezed a big drop on her palm and started rubbing it onto her arms.

"You need any help with that?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"I could do your back." He offered again, making a step towards her.

"That's not necessary."

"I wouldn't want you to get a sunburn." Mike tried again.

"If she wants any help, then I'm the one who's helping her."

"Says who?" Mike asked confused as he turned to the man who was talking to him.

Lorelai lifted her head and smiled at Luke who handed her the ice cream. "Thanks, Luke."

"Ah, you're Luke."

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason."

Luke studied him with narrowed eyes. "Who are you?"

"That's Mike." Lorelai said, grinning. "And I think he just tried to flirt with me."

"You were flirting with my girlfriend?" Luke glared at the younger man in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest.

"No. I mean, well..."

"What?"

"Come on. Look at her. What guy wouldn't wanna try to get to know her? Those legs and her…"

"Okay, you better stop talking now." Luke interrupted him by holding up a hand.

"But I was just saying…"

"Bye Mike." Luke said, giving him a stern look.

The guy dared a short glance at Lorelai before he turned and walked back to his buddies, who, it seemed, where laughing at him.

"What was that all about?" Luke asked, as he knelt down next to her on the towel. "Can't I just leave you alone for a few minutes?"

"Okay, that was hardly any of my fault. I was lying here all innocently, sunbathing, when that guy came over. He wanted me to play volleyball with them, can you imagine?" Lorelai shook her head and started licking on her cone.

"No, actually I can't."

"Me neither."

"Gee, is that guy still looking over at us?"

Lorelai turned her head, then rolled her eyes. "Well, let him."

"It's annoying. I don't like being watched."

"Hmm, let's give them something to look at then." Lorelai scooted closer and licked on her ice cream before she met Luke's lips in a kiss, letting him taste the sweetness that was vanilla and mango.

* * *

_At sundown_

"Are you cold?" Luke asked as he pulled the blanket tighter around Lorelai's shoulders.

"No, I'm good." She smiled and leaned back against Luke's body. They were both sitting at the beach, watching the sun going down.

"We could go upstairs."

"No, let's stay here a little longer. Please." She took in a huge breath of air.

"Okay." Luke leaned down and whispered into her ear. With one arm settled tightly around her body, he used the other one to brush her hair to the side. He felt her shudder as he left a small trail of kisses on her naked skin.

"That tickles." Lorelai giggled and leaned her head back, so it rested on Luke's shoulder. She lifted her arm and slipped it behind Luke's neck to hold him to her.

"Lorelai?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to tell you something."

"Okay. Go ahead."

Luke stopped kissing her shoulder and lifted his head slightly, to lean his cheek against hers. "But I want you to let me finish. No interruptions till I'm done, okay?"

"Sure." _Wow, sounds mysterious_, Lorelai thought.

"Good. Uhm, where do I start?" Luke thought for a moment to find the right words. "I still remember the day we met. And I remember it if it was only yesterday. How you came into my diner in a coffee frenzy, annoying the hell out of me. But at the same time I thought, who is that woman? I wanna know more about her. I didn't want to admit it but my heart always skipped a beat when you stopped by the diner to get your daily coffee fix. We didn't speak a lot at the beginning but that changed after a while. We became friends. Good friends. Maybe even best friends, if I might say so. We could always depend on each other in every kind of situation. You were there for me and I was there for you. Always. That didn't change over the years, not even when there was someone else." Luke took a deep breath and tried not to think about Max or Christopher too much. "I uh… I still don't know why I got so lucky that you finally noticed me. I really don't know because sometimes it feels like I'm dreaming and when I wake up you're not with me anymore."

"Luke…"

Luke ignored her and kept talking. He wanted to get it all out now. "I know you think I'm stupid but that's how I feel. That's how lucky I feel to have you in my life. Being with you is the best thing that ever happened to me. And I can't even describe how you make me feel when we're together. You're everything to me, Lorelai. Everything. And I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. Forever. There's nothing more I want. I love you, Lorelai. And…" Luke reached into his pockets and fished out the small jewellery box. He flipped it open with one hand and showed Lorelai what was inside. "…that's why I'm asking you… will you marry me?"

It was out. He said it. And it wasn't so hard, was it? He watched Lorelai as her eyes fell down on the ring. Her hand reached up to her mouth as tears started to fill her eyes. She blinked a couple of times but couldn't prevent the tears from falling down her cheeks.

Okay, was that a good sign or not? He wasn't sure.

"Lorelai?"

Slowly, Lorelai turned around in Luke's arms, so she could look at him. She could see nothing but love and admiration in his eyes and it made her heartbeat go even faster than it already was. He had no idea how lucky _she_ felt to have him in her life too.

"Are you serious?"

Luke slightly frowned as his eyes shifted from the ring back to her face. "Well, what do you think?"

"I'm just… this is big. This is huge." She paused for a moment, then looked into his eyes. "And… I just want to make sure you realize what you're getting yourself into. Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

"Lorelai." Luke sighed.

"I'm just saying because when I say 'yes', you're stuck with me forever. For a lifetime. That's a very long time, Luke."

"Would _you_ want that?" Luke asked her carefully, his eyes not leaving hers. "Being stuck with _me _forever? Or…"

Lorelai bit her lower lip. Then she nodded eagerly. "Yes."

"Yes." Luke repeated, trying to assure himself that he heard right.

"Yes. Of course I wanna marry you, Luke."

Luke let out a breath, he didn't realize he was holding. It wasn't that he was afraid she might say no. Well, maybe a little but parts of him feared that she might feel it would be too soon. And the last thing he wanted was to make her freak out. But she didn't look freaked out at all. In fact, she was grinning from ear to ear, studying her ring. "It's so beautiful."

"It was my mother's."

"Oh, Luke."

"She wanted you to have it."

Lorelai lifted her eyes to look at him. "How do you know that?"

"I just know." He smiled and took the ring out of the box to slip it on her finger.

"So beautiful. I love that ring so much." She cupped his face to give him a kiss. After she pulled back, she slipped her arms around his neck. "And I love _you_." Grinning, she bit her lower lip. "You really must have planned all this. I can't believe it."

"I didn't really plan all that much."

"But you had the ring, so you planned on asking me."

"Yeah, that I did."

She played with the curls on the back of his head, still grinning. "We're getting married. You and me."

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Lorelai whispered before she leaned in to meet his lips in a gentle kiss…

**The End**

* * *

_Okay, that's it. I'm done. And boy, does that make me sad. I loved writing this story and I wanna thank every single one of you who read this and left me all those very nice reviews. I had so much fun writing this during all the good and bad times… it kept me going when I kn__ew in my story everything's going to be okay and they'll get their deserved happy ending._

_I was really thinking about continuing with this story because a lot of people ask me to write more but I was already overdue to finally come to an end. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe one day I'll write a sequel or another story. Never say never, right? ___

_Thanks again, guys. You are the best!!! _


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